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WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


OTHER  BOOKS 

BY 

THE  SAME  AUTHOR 

CHARACTER  BUILDING 
UP  FROM  SLAVERY 


I 


MR.  WASHINGTON  IN  HIS  OFFICE  AT  TUSKEGEE 


WORKING 
WITH  THE  HANDS 


BEING  A  SEQUEL  TO  “UP  FROM  SLAVERY” 
COVERING  THE  AUTHOR’S 
EXPERIENCES  IN  INDUSTRIAL 
TRAINING  AT  TUSKEGEE 


By 

BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 


Illustrated  from  photographs  by  Frances  ‘Benjamin  Johnston 


NEW  YORK 

DOUBLEDAY,  PAGE  &  COMPANY 


Copyright,  1904,  by 
Doubleday,  Page  &  Company 
Published,  May,  1904 


:y  CENTER 


PREFACE 


For  several  years  I  have  been  receiving  requests, 
from  many  parts  of  the  United  States,  and  from  for¬ 
eign  countries  as  well,  for  some  detailed  information 
concerning  the  value  of  industrial  training  and  the 
methods  employed  to  develop  it.  This  little  volume 
is  the  result,  in  part,  of  an  attempt  to  answer  these 
queries.  Two  proven  facts  need  emphasis  here: 

First:  Mere  hand  training,  without  thorough 

moral,  religious,  and  mental  education,  counts  for 
very  little.  The  hands,  the  head,  and  the  heart 
together,  as  the  essential  elements  of  educational 
need,  should  be  so  correlated  that  one  may  be  made 
to  help  the  others.  At  the  Tuskegee  Institute  we 
find  constantly  that  we  can  make  our  industrial 
work  assist  in  the  academic  training,  and  vice  versa. 

Second:  The  effort  to  make  an  industry  pay  its 
way  should  not  be  made  the  aim  of  first  importance. 
The  teaching  should  be  most  emphasised.  Our 
policy  at  Tuskegee  is  to  make  an  industry  pay  its 
way  if  possible,  but  at  the  same  time  not  to  sacrifice 
the  training  to  mere  economic  gain.  Those  who 
undertake  such  endeavour  with  the  expectation  of 
getting  much  money  out  of  an  industry,  will  find 
themselves  disappointed,  unless  they  realise  that 


v 


VI 


PREFACE 


the  institution  must  be,  all  the  time,  working  upon 
raw  material.  At  Tuskegee,  for  example,  when  a 
student  is  trained  to  the  point  of  efficiency  where  he 
can  construct  a  first-class  wagon,  we  do  not  keep 
him  there  to  build  more  vehicles,  but  send  him  out 
into  the  world  to  exert  his  trained  influence  and 
capabilities  in  lifting  others  to  his  level,  and  we 
begin  our  work  with  the  raw  material  all  over  again. 

I  shall  be  more  than  repaid  if  these  chapters  will 
serve  the  purpose  of  helping  forward  the  cause  of 
education,  even  though  their  aid  be  remote  and 
indirect. 


CONTENTS 


I. 

Moral  Values  of  Hand  Work  . 

3 

II. 

Training  for  Conditions  . 

1S 

III. 

A  Battle  Against  Prejudice 

31 

IV. 

Making  Education  Pay  Its  Way 

43 

V. 

Building  Up  a  System 

55 

VI. 

Welding  Theory  and  Practice  . 

6? 

VII. 

Head  and  Hands  Together 

82 

VIII. 

Lessons  in  Home-Making  . 

98 

IX. 

Outdoor  Work  for  Women 

107 

X. 

Helping  the  Mothers 

119 

XI. 

The  Tillers  of  the  Ground 

i35 

XII. 

Pleasure  and  Profit  of  Work  in  the 

Soil  ...... 

151 

XIII. 

On  the  Experimental  Farm 

163 

XIV. 

The  Eagerness  for  Learning 

i73 

XV. 

The  Value  of  Small  Things 

181 

XVI; 

Religious  Influences  at  Tuskegee 

192 

XVII. 

Some  Tangible  Results 

200 

XVIII. 

Spreading  the  Tuskegee  Spirit 

219 

XIX. 

Negro  Education  Not  a  Failure 

231 

.  vii 

LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


Mr.  Washington  in  his  office  at  Tuskegee  Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

Breaking  up  new  ground  with  an  eight-ox  team  .  16 

Cutting  sugar-cane  on  the  School’s  farm  .  .26 

Grinding  sugar-cane  at  the  School’s  sugar-mill  .  32 

The  repair  shop  .  .....  42 

Road-building  by  Tuskegee  students  .  50 

Building  a  new  dormitory  .  .  .  .56 

Digging  foundation  for  a  new  building  on  the 

Institute  grounds  .  .  .  .  -58 

At  work  in  the  School’s  brick-yard  .  .  .62 

Shoe-shop — making  and  repairing  .  .  .66 

Mattress-making  .  .  .  .  .  .68 

Basket-making  .  .  .  .  .  .70 

In  the  School’s  sawmill  .  .  .  .  .72 

In  the  machine-shop  .  .  .  .  -74 

Students  at  work  in  the  School’s  foundry  .  76 

Class  in  mechanical  drawing  .  .  .78 

The  blacksmith  shop  .  .  .  .  .80 

Students  framing  the  roof  of  a  large  building  .  84 

Wood-turning  machinery  .  .  .  .90 

Learning  dressmaking  .  .  .  .  .100 

Barrel  furniture  .  .  .  .  .  .102 

An  out-of-door  class  in  laundry  work  .  .106 


X 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


FACING  PAGE 

Home-made  furniture  .  .  .  •  •  I3° 

“  When  at  Tuskegee  I  find  a  way,  by  rising  early 
in  the  morning,  to  spend  half  an  hour  in  my 

garden  or  with  the  live  stock  ”  .  •  •  I54 

Hogs  as  object-lessons  .  .  •  •  •  *5^ 

“  Teach  the  child  something  about  real  country 

life” . 160 

Cultivating  a  patch  of  cassava  on  the  agricultural 

experiment  plot  .  .  •  •  .164 

The  tailor  shop  .  .  •  •  •  • 

The  paint  shop  .  .  •  •  •  .19° 

A  furniture  and  repair  shop  at  Snow  Hill  .  222 
A  sewing-class  at  Snow  Hill  .  .  •  .224 

Typesetting — printing  office  .  234 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


CHAPTER  I 

Moral  Values  of  Hand  Work 

THE  worth  of  work  with  the  hands  as  an  up¬ 
lifting  power  in  real  education  was  first 
brought  home  to  me  with  striking  emphasis 
when  I  was  a  student  at  the  Hampton  Normal  and 
Agricultural  Institute,  which  was  at  that  time  under 
the  direction  of  the  late  General  S.  C.  Armstrong. 
But  I  recall  with  interest  an  experience,  earlier 
than  my  Hampton  training,  along  similar  lines  of 
enlightenment,  which  came  to  me  when  I  was  a  child. 
Soon  after  I  was  made  free  by  the  proclamation  of 
Abraham  Lincoln,  there  came  the  new  opportunity 
to  attend  a  public  school  at  my  home  town  in  West 
Virginia.  When  the  teacher  said  that  the  chief 
purpose  of  education  was  to  enable  one  to  speak 
and  write  the  English  language  correctly,  the  state¬ 
ment  found  lodgment  in  my  mind  and  stayed 
there.  While  at  the  time  I  could  not  put  my 
thoughts  into  words  clearly  enough  to  express 
instinctive  disagreement  with  my  teacher,  this 
definition  did  not  seem  adequate,  it  grated  harshly 

3 


4 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


upon  my  young  ears,  and  I  had  reasons  for  feeling 
that  education  ought  to  do  more  for  a  boy  than 
merely  to  teach  him  to  read  and  write.  While 
this  scheme  of  education  was  being  held  up  before 
me,  my  mother  was  living  in  abject  poverty,  lacking 
the  commonest  necessaries  of  life,  and  working  day 
and  night  to  give  me  a  chance  to  go  to  school  for  two 
or  three  months  of  the  year.  And  my  foremost 
aim  in  going  to  school  was  to  learn  ways  and  means 
by  which  I  might  make  life  more  endurable,  and  if 
possible  even  attractive,  for  my  mother. 

There  were  several  boys  of  our  neighbourhood 
who  had  superior  school  advantages,  and  who,  in 
more  than  one  instance,  had  reached  the  point 
where  they  were  called  “educated,”  which  meant 
that  they  could  write  and  talk  correctly.  But  their 
parents  were  not  far  removed  from  the  conditions 
in  which  my  mother  was  living,  and  I  could  not 
help  wondering  whether  this  kind  of  education 
alone  was  fitted  to  help  me  in  the  immediate  needs 
of  relieving  the  hard  times  at  home.  This  idea, 
however,  ran  counter  to  the  current  of  widespread 
opinion  among  my  people.  Young  as  I  was,  I  had 
come  to  have  the  feeling  that  to  be  a  free  boy  meant, 
to  a  considerable  extent,  freedom  from  work  with 
the  hands,  and  that  this  new  status  applied  espe¬ 
cially  to  the  educated  boy. 

Just  after  the  Civil  War  the  Negro  lad  was  strongly 
influenced  by  two  beliefs;  one,  that  freedom  from 


MORAL  VALUES  OF  HAND  WORK  5 

slavery  brought  with  it  freedom  from  hard  work, 
the  other  that  education  of  the  head  would  bring 
even  more  sweeping  emancipation  from  work  with 
the  hands.  It  is  fair  to  add  that  the  Negro  was 
not  directly  responsible  for  either  of  these  ideas, 
but  they  warped  his  views  nevertheless,  and  held 
sway  over  the  masses  of  the  young  generation.  I 
had  felt  and  observed  these  things,  and  further, 
as  a  child  in  Virginia,  had  naturally  noted  that 
young  white  boys  whose  fathers  held  slaves  did  not 
often  work  with  their  hands. 

Not  long  after  I  had  begun  to  think  of  these  new 
conditions  and  their  results,  viewing  them  as 
seriously  as  could  be  expected  of  an  ignorant  boy, 
an  event  of  my  working  life  left  important  influences 
in  its  wake.  There  lived  a  little  way  from  my 
mother’s  cabin  a  woman  of  wealth,  who  had  lived 
many  years  in  the  South,  although  she  had  been 
born  and  educated  in  Vermont.  She  had  a  high 
respect  for  manual  labour,  showing  actively  her 
appreciation  of  the  dignity  of  honest  work  well  done, 
and,  notwithstanding  her  own  position  and  culture, 
she  was  not  ashamed  to  use  her  hands.  In  the  neigh¬ 
bourhood,  this  lady  was  reputed  to  be  exceedingly 
hard  to  please  in  the  performance  of  any  sort  of 
work  on  her  place,  and  among  the  village  boys 
she  was  called  a  “hard  person  to  get  along  with.” 

As  I  remember,  at  least  half  a  dozen  boys  had 
been  successively  chosen  to  live  with  her,  but  their 


6 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


residence  in  service  had  been  consistently  short¬ 
lived.  I  think  a  week  was  about  the  average 
period,  in  spite  of  the  widely  advertised  fact  that 
the  household  had  the  redeeming  reputation  of 
always  providing  good  things  to  eat.  In  addi¬ 
tion  to  pies  and  cakes,  which  boys  in  a  com¬ 
munity  like  ours  seldom  saw  in  their  own  cabin 
homes,  the  orchards  around  the  house  bore  heavy 
yields  of  the  finest  fruits,  yet  such  extraordinary 
inducements  as  these  could  not  hold  the  boys,  who 
one  by  one  returned  to  the  village  with  the  same 
story,  that  the  lady  of  the  mansion  was  too  strict 
and  too  hard  to  please. 

After  a  long  record  of  these  mutual  disappoint¬ 
ments,  my  mother  told  me  that  my  turn  had  come, 
as  the  rich  and  exacting  personage  had  sent  to  ask 
me  to  come  and  live  with  her,  with  the  promise  of 
five  dollars  a  month  in  wages.  After  a  long  and 
serious  talk  with  my  mother  I  decided  to  make  the 
effort  to  serve  this  woman,  although  the  tidings  of 
so  many  failures  filled  me  with  foreboding.  A  few 
days  later,  with  my  clothes  made  as  presentable  as 
possible,  and  with  my  heart  thumping  in  fear  and 
anxiety,  I  reported  for  duty. 

I  had  heard  so  much  about  Mrs.  Ruffner,  her 
wealth,  her  fine  house,  and  her  luxurious  surround¬ 
ings,  overshadowed  by  her  appalling  severity  and 
exacting  discipline,  that  I  trembled  with  a  terror 
which  I  shall  not  try  to  describe  at  the  thought  of 


MORAL  VALUES  OF  HAND  WORK  7 

facing  her.  My  life  had  been  lived  in  a  cabin,  and 
I  was  now  to  try  to  toil  in  what  looked  to  me  like 
a  grand  mansion,  an  enchanted  palace  filled  with 
alarms.  But  I  got  a  grip  on  all  the  courage  in  my 
scanty  stock,  and  braced  myself  to  endure  the 
ordeal  with  all  possible  fortitude. 

The  meeting  was  not  at  all  what  I  had  expected. 
Mrs.  Ruffner  talked  to  me  in  the  kindliest  way,  and 
her  frank  and  positive  manner  was  tempered  with 
a  rehearsal  of  the  difficulties  encountered  with  the 
boys  who  had  preceded  me,  how  and  why  they  had 
failed  to  please,  and  what  was  expected  of  them 
and  of  me.  I  saw  that  it  would  be  my  fault  if  I 
failed  to  understand  my  duties,  as  she  explained 
them  in  detail.  I  would  be  expected  to  keep  my 
body  clean  and  my  clothes  neat,  and  cleanliness  was 
to  be  the  motto  in  all  my  work.  She  said  that  all 
things  could  be  done  best  by  system,  and  she  ex¬ 
pected  it  of  me,  and  that  the  exact  truth  at  all 
times,  regardless  of  consequences,  was  one  of  the 
first  laws  of  her  household — a  law  whose  violation 
could  never  be  overlooked. 

I  remember,  too,  that  she  placed  special  emphasis 
upon  the  law  of  promptness,  and  said  that  excuses 
and  explanations  could  never  be  taken  in  the  place 
of  results.  At  the  time,  this  seemed  to  me  a  pretty 
stern  program  to  live  up  to,  and  I  was  fighting  a 
sense  of  discouragement  when,  toward  the  end  of 
the  interview,  she  told  me  that  if  I  were  able  to 


8  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

please  her  she  would  permit  me  to  attend  school 
at  night  during  the  winter.  This  suggestion  so 
stimulated  my  ambition  that  it  went  a  long  way 
toward  clinching  the  decision  to  make  the  effort 
of  my  life  to  satisfy  my  employer  and  to  break  all 
records  for  \ength  of  service  in  her  household. 

My  first  task,  as  I  remember  it,  was  to  cut  the  grass 
around  the  house,  and  then  to  give  the  grounds  a 
thorough  “cleaning  up.”  In  those  days  there 
were  no  lawn-mowers,  and  I  had  to  go  down  on 
my  knees  and  cut  much  of  the  grass  with  a  little 
hand-scythe.  I  soon  found  that  my  employer  not 
only  wished  the  grass  cut,  but  also  demanded  that  it 
be  trimmed  smooth  and  even.  Any  one  who  has 
tried  to  mow  a  lawn  with  a  dull  hand-scythe  or 
sickle  can  realise  the  difficulties  which  beset  this 
labour.  I  am  not  ashamed  to  say  that  I  did  not 
succeed  in  giving  satisfaction  the  first,  or  even  the 
second  or  third  time,  but  at  last  I  made  the  turf 
in  that  yard  look  as  smooth  and  velvety  as  if  I  had 
been  over  it  with  the  most  improved  pattern  of  lawn- 
mower.  With  this  achievement  my  sense  of  pride 
and  satisfaction  began  to  stir  itself  and  to  become 
a  perceptible  incentive.  I  found,  however,  that 
cutting  the  grass  was  not  the  whole  task.  Every 
weed,  tuft  of  dead  grass,  bit  of  paper,  or  scrap  of 
dirt  of  any  kind  must  be  removed,  nor  did  I  succeed 
at  the  first  attempt  in  pleasing  my  employer.  Many 
times,  when  tired  and  hot  with  trying  to  put  this 


MORAL  VALUES  OF  HAND  WORK  9 

yard  in  order,  I  was  heartsick  and  discouraged  and 
almost  determined  to  run  away  and  go  home  to  my 
mother. 

But  I  kept  at  it,  and  after  a  few  days,  as  the 
result  of  my  efforts  under  the  strict  oversight  of  my 
mistress,  we  could  take  pleasure  in  looking  upon  a 
yard  where  the  grass  was  green,  and  almost  perfect 
in  its  smoothness,  where  the  flower  beds  were 
trimly  kept,  the  edges  of  the  walks  clean  cut,  and 
where  there  was  nothing  to  mar  the  well-ordered 
appearance. 

When  I  saw  and  realised  that  all  this  was  a 
creation  of  my  own  hands,  my  whole  nature  began 
to  change.  I  felt  a  self-respect,  an  encouragement, 
and  a  satisfaction  that  I  had  never  before  enjoyed 
or  thought  possible.  Above  all  else,  I  had  acquired 
a  new  confidence  in  my  ability  actually  to  do  things 
and  to  do  them  well.  And  more  than  this,  I  found 
myself,  through  this  experience,  getting  rid  of  the 
idea  which  had  gradually  become  a  part  of  me, 
that  the  head  meant  everything  and  the  hands 
little  in  working  endeavour,  and  that  only  to  labour 
with  the  mind  was  honourable  while  to  toil  with  the 
hands  was  unworthy  and  even  disgraceful.  With 
this  vital  growth  of  realisation  there  came  the 
warm  and  hearty  commendation  of  the  good  woman 
who  had  given  me  what  I  now  consider  my  first 
chance  to  get  in  touch  with  the  real  things  of  life. 
When  I  recall  this  experience,  I  know  that  then 


IO 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


and  there  my  mind  was  awakened  and  strengthen  . 

As  I  began  to  reap  satisfaction  from  the  wor  s  o 
my  hands,  I  found  myself  planning  over  night  how 
to  gain  success  in  the  next  day’s  efforts  I  would 
try  to  picture  the  yard  as  X  meant  it  to  look  when 
completed,  and  laid  awake  nights  trying  to  decide 
upon  the  prettiest  curves  for  the  flower  beds  and 
the  proper  width  of  the  walks.  I  was  soon  fa 
more  absorbed  in  this  work  than  in  filling  m  my 
leisure  time  seeking  mischief  with  the  village  boys_ 

I  remained  in  this  family  for  several  years,  and 
the  longer  I  was  employed  there  the  more  satisfaction 
I  got  out  of  my  work.  Instead  of  fearing  the 
woman  whom  the  other  boys  had  found  so  form 
able,  I  learned  to  think  of  her  and  to  regard  her  now 
(for  she  still  lives)  as  one  of  my  greatest  teachers^ 
Later,  whether  working  in  the  coal  mines  or  at 
the  salt  furnaces,  I  learned  to  find  the  same  in 
satisfaction  in  everything  I  did  for  a  net  ■ 
If  while  sweeping  or  dusting  a  room,  or  weeding _  a 
bed  of  flowers  or  vegetables,  there  —  ed  the 

least  imperfection,  I  was  unhappy,  an 

was  guilty  of  dishonesty  until  the  flaw  in  my  work 

had  been  removed.  . 

While  I  have  never  wished  to  underestrma  e 
awakening  power  of  purely  mental  trarn^. 
believe  that  this  visible,  tangible  con  act 
with  nature  gave  me  inspirations  and  ambitio 
which  could  not  have  come  in  any  other  way. 


MORAL  VALUES  OP  HAND  WORK 


II 


favour  the  most  thorough  mental  training  and  the 
highest  development  of  mind,  but  I  want  to  see 
these  linked  with  the  common  things  of  the  universal 
life  about  our  doors. 

It  was  this  experience  in  using  my  hands  that  led 
me,  in  spite  of  all  the  difficulties  in  the  way,  to  go 
to  the  Hampton  Institute,  where  I  had  learned  that 
pupils  could  have  not  only  their  minds  educated, 
but  their  hands  trained.  When  I  entered  the 
Hampton  Institute  few  industries  were  taught 
there,  but  these  had  to  do  with  the  fundamentals  of 
every-day  life.  The  hand  work  began  with  the 
duties  which  lay  directly  in  the  path  of  the  student. 
We  were  taught  to  make  our  own  beds,  to  clean  our 
rooms,  to  take  care  of  the  recitation  rooms,  and 
to  keep  the  grounds  in  order.  Then  came  lessons 
in  raising  our  food  on  the  farm  and  the  proper 
methods  of  cooking  and  serving  it  in  the  school. 
The  instruction  in  iron  and  wood-work  in  the 
earlier  years  of  the  institution  was  mostly  in  making 
and  repairing  the  farming  implements  and  in  helping 
to  maintain  the  buildings. 

While  much  of  this  work  may  seem  rudimentary, 
it  had  great  educational  value.  How  well  I  re¬ 
member  the  feeling  of  stimulus  and  satisfaction 
inspired  by  the  sight  of  a  perfectly  made  bed, 
the  pillows  placed  always  at  the  right  angle, 
and  the  edges  of  the  sheets  turned  over  according 
to  rules  of  neatness  and  system.  The  work  of  the 


I2  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

farm  had  a  similar  kind  of  influence  upon  my  views 
of  relative  values  in  education.  I  soon  learned  that 
there  was  a  great  difference  between  studying  about 
things  and  studying  the  things  themselves,  between 
book  instruction  and  the  illumination  of  practical 
experience. 

This  chain  of  experiences,  whose  links  I  have  tried 
to  indicate,  served  as  a  preparation  for  the  work  of 
training  the  head,  the  heart,  and  the  hands  which 
I  was  to  undertake  later  at  the  Tuskegee  Normal 
and  Industrial  Institute  in  Alabama.  When  I 
went  to  Alabama  to  begin  this  work,  I  spent  some 
time  in  visiting  towns  and  country  districts  in  order 
to  learn  the  real  conditions  and  needs  of  the  people. 
It  was  my  ambition  to  make  the  little  school  which 
I  was  about  to  found  a  real  service  in  enriching 
the  life  of  the  most  lowly  and  unfortunate.  With 
this  end  in  view,  I  not  only  visited  the  schools, 
churches,  and  farms  of  the  people,  but  slept  in 
their  one-roomed  cabins  and  ate  at  their  tables 
their  fare  of  corn-bread  and  fried  pork. 

Often  while  making  these  visits,  both  in  the  towns 
and  in  the  plantation  districts,  I  found  young  men 
and  women  who  had  acquired  considerable  education, 
but  it  seemed  to  be  limited  to  memorising  certain 
rules  in  grammar  and  arithmetic.  Some  of  them 
had  studied  both  the  classic  and  modern  languages, 
and  I  discovered  students  who  could  solve  problems 
in  arithmetic  and  algebra  which  I  could  not  master. 


MORAL  VALUES  OF  HAND  WORK 


13 


Yet  I  could  not  escape  the  conviction  that  the  more 
abstract  these  problems  were,  and  the  further  they 
were  removed  from  the  life  the  people  were  then 
living,  or  were  to  live,  the  more  stress  seemed  to  be 
placed  upon  them.  One  of  the  saddest  features 
was  to  find  here  and  there  instances  of  those  who 
had  studied  what  was  called  “art”  or  “instrumental 
music,”  in  other  words  “the  elegant  accomplish¬ 
ments,”  but  who  were  living  in  houses  where  there 
was  no  sign  of  beauty  or  system.  There  was  not 
the  slightest  indication  that  this  art  or  these  accom¬ 
plishments  had  had  or  ever  would  have  any  influence 
upon  the  life  in  the  homes  of  these  people. 

Indeed,  it  did  not  seem  to  have  occurred  to  them 
that  such  things  ought  to  have  any  relation  to  their 
every-day  life.  I  found  young  men  who  could 
wrestle  successfully  with  the  toughest  problems  in 
“compound  interest  or  banking”  or  “foreign  ex¬ 
change,”  but  who  had  never  thought  of  trying  to 
figure  out  why  their  fathers  lost  money  on  every 
bale  of  cotton  raised,  and  why  they  were  continually 
mortgaging  their  crops  and  falling  deeper  into  debt. 
I  talked  with  girls  who  could  locate  on  the  map 
accurately  the  Alps  and  the  Andes,  but  who  had 
no  idea  of  the  proper  position  of  the  knives  and 
forks  on  the  dinner  table.  I  found  those  who 
remembered  that  bananas  were  grown  in  certain 
South  and  Central  American  countries,  but  to 
whom  it  had  never  occurred  that  they  might 


14 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


be  a  nourishing  and  appetising  food  for  their  break¬ 
fast  tables. 

In  a  country  where  pigs,  chickens,  ducks,  geese, 
berries,  peaches,  plums,  vegetables,  nuts,  and  other 
wholesome  foods  could  be  produced  with  little 
effort,  school  teachers  were  eating  salt  pork  from 
Chicago  and  canned  chicken  and  tomatoes  sent 
from  Omaha.  While  the  countryside  abounded  in 
all  manner  of  beautiful  shrubbery  and  fragrant 
flowers,  few  of  these  ever  found  their  way  into  the 
houses  or  upon  the  dinner  tables.  While  m  many 
instances  the  people  had  always  lived  in  the  country, 
and  would  continue  to  do  so,  what  few  text -books 
I  saw  in  their  cabins  were  full  of  pictures  and 
reading  matter  relating  to  city  life.  In  these  text¬ 
books  I  saw  pictures  of  great  office  buildings,  ships, 
street-cars,  warehouses,  but  not  a  single  picture  of 
a  farm  scene,  a  spreading  apple-tree,  a  field  of  grass 
or  com,  a  flock  of  sheep,  or  a  herd  of  cows. 


CHAPTER  II 


Training  for  Conditions 

The  preliminary  investigation  of  certain  phases 
of  the  life  of  the  people  of  my  race  led  me  to  make 
a  more  thorough  study  of  their  needs  in  order  that 
I  might  have  more  light  on  the  problem  of  what  the 
Tuskegee  Institute  could  do  to  help  them.  Before 
beginning  work  at  Tuskegee  I  had  felt  that  too 
often  in  educational  missionary  effort  the  tempta¬ 
tion  was  to  try  to  force  each  individual  into  a 
certain  mould,  regardless  of  the  condition  and  needs 
of  the  subject  or  of  the  ends  sought.  It  seemed  to 
me  a  mistake  to  try  to  fit  people  for  conditions  which 
may  have  been  successful  in  communities  a  thousand 
miles  away,  or  in  times  centuries  remote,  without 
paying  attention  to  the  actual  life  and  needs  of  those 
living  in  the  shadow  of  the  institution  and  for 
whom  its  educational  machinery  must  labour. 

In  the  beginning  of  my  work,  when  I  thought  it 
necessary  to  investigate  at  closer  range  the  history 
and  environment  of  the  people  around  us,  it  soon 
became  evident  that  this  data  was  a  valuable  basis 
for  the  undertaking  at  Tuskegee.  For  it  was  demon¬ 
strated  that  we  were  about  to  take  a  share  in  the 

15 


l6  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

burden  of  educating  a  race  which  had  had  little  or 
no  need  for  labour  in  its  native  land,  before  being 
brought  to  America— a  race  which  had  never  known 
voluntary  incentives  to  toil. 

The  tropical  climate  had  been  generous  to  the 
inhabitant  of  Africa  and  had  supplied  him  without 
effort  with  the  few  things  needful  for  the  support 
of  the  body.  I  had  cause  to  recall  the  story  of  a 
native  who  went  to  sleep  on  his  back  in  the  morning 
under  a  banana  tree  with  his  mouth  open,  confident 
that  before  noon  a  providential  banana  would  fall 
into  his  mouth.  While  the  African  had  little  oc¬ 
casion  to  work  with  his  hands  in  the  land  of  his 
nativity,  by  the  end  of  his  period  of  slavery  m  this 
country  he  had  undergone  two  hundred  and  fifty 
years  of  the  severest  labour.  Therefore,  many 
friends  of  the  race  argued  that  the  American  Negro, 
of  all  people,  ought  to  be  released  from  further  hand¬ 
training,  especially  while  in  school.  Others  said 
that  the  Negro  had  been  worked  for  centuries,  and 
now  that  the  race  was  free  there  ought  to  be  a 
change. 

At  Tuskegee  we  replied  that  it  was  true  that  the 
race  had  been  worked  in  slavery,  but  the  great 
lesson  which  the  race  needed  to  learn  in  freedom 
was  to  work.  We  said  that  as  a  slave  the  Negro  was 
worked ;  as  a  freeman  he  must  learn  to  work.  There 
is  a  vast  difference  between  working  and  being 
worked.  Being  worked  means  degradation ;  working 


BREAKING  UP  NEW  GROUND  WITH  AN  EIGHT-OX  TEAM 


TRAINING  FOR  CONDITIONS 


17 


means  civilisation.  This  was  the  difference  which 
our  institution  wished  chiefly  to  emphasise.  We 
argued  that  during  the  days  of  slavery  labour  was 
forced  out  of  the  Negro,  and  he  had  acquired,  for 
this  reason,  a  dislike  for  work.  The  whole  ma¬ 
chinery  of  slavery  was  not  apt  to  beget  the  spirit 
of  love  of  labour. 

Because  these  things  were  true  we  promised  to 
try  to  teach  our  students  to  lift  labour  out  of 
drudgery  and  to  place  it  on  a  plane  where  it  would 
become  attractive,  and  where  it  would  be  something 
to  be  sought  rather  than  something  to  be  dreaded 
and  if  possible  avoided. 

More  than  this,  we  wanted  to  teach  men  and 
women  to  put  brains  into  the  labour  of  the  hand, 
and  to  show  that  it  was  possible  for  one  with  the 
best  mental  training  to  work  with  the  hands  without 
feeling  that  he  was  degraded.  While  we  were  con¬ 
sidering  our  plans  at  Tuskegee,  many  persons  argued 
with  me,  as  they  had  done  with  General  Armstrong 
years  before,  at  Hampton,  that  all  the  Negro  youth 
needed  as  education  was  mental  and  religious 
training,  and  that  all  else  would  follow  of  itself. 

Partly  in  answer  to  this  argument,  we  pointed  to 
our  people  in  the  republic  of  Hayti,  who  were  freed 
many  years  before  emancipation  came  to  our  race 
in  the  Southern  States.  A  large  number  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  Hayti  during  the  long  period  of 
years  had  been  given  a  most  thorough  mental 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


training  not  only  in  Hayti  but  in  France,  and  the 
Catholic  Church  had  surrounded  the  population 
from  birth  with  religious  influences.  Many  Haytians 
had  distinguished  themselves  in  the  study  of  philoso¬ 
phy  and  the  languages,  and  yet  the  sad  fact  remained 
that  Hayti  did  not  prosper. 

I  wish  to  be  entirely  fair  to  the  Haytians.  Hayti 
exports  annually  from  sixty  to  eighty  million  pounds 
of  coffee  and  several  hundred  million  pounds  of 
precious  woods.  A  French  statistician  says  that 
“  among  the  sixty  countries  of  the  globe  which  carry 
on  regular  commerce  with  France,  Hayti  figures  in 
the  seventeenth  place.  In  amount  of  special  duties 
received  at  the  French  Custom  House  upon  the 
products  imported  from  those  sixty  countries,  Hayti 
comes  in  the  fourth  rank.  ’  ’  It  seems  well  to  observe, 
then,  that  here  is  the  foundation  for  the  upbuilding 
of  a  rich  and  powerful  country,  with  great  natural 
resources.  It  seems  all  the  more  inexcusable  that 
industrial  conditions  should  be  as  unsatisfactory  as 
they  are. 

The  thoughtful  and  progressive  men  in  the 
republics  of  Hayti  and  Santo  Domingo  now  recognise 
the  fact  that  while  there  has  always  been  a  demand 
for  professional  men  and  women  of  the  highest  type 
of  scholarship,  at  the  same  time  many  of  these 
scholars  should  have  had  such  scientific  and  in¬ 
dustrial  education  as  would  have  brought  them 
into  direct  contact  with  the  development  of  the 


TRAINING  FOR  CONDITIONS 


19 


material  resources  of  the  country.  They  now  see 
that  their  country  would  have  been  advanced  far 
beyond  its  present  condition,  materially  and  morally, 
if  a  large  proportion  of  the  brightest  youths  had  been 
given  skilled  handicrafts  and  had  been  taught  the 
mechanical  arts  and  practical  methods  of  agriculture. 
Some  of  them  should  have  been  educated  as  civil, 
mining,  and  sanitary  engineers,  and  others  as  archi¬ 
tects  and  builders;  and  most  important  of  all,  agri¬ 
culture  should  have  been  scientifically  developed. 
If  such  a  foundation  had  been  laid  it  is  probable  that 
Hayti  would  now  possess  good  public  roads,  streets, 
bridges,  and  railroads,  and  that  its  agricultural  and 
mining  resources  would  have  made  the  country 
rich,  prosperous,  and  contented. 

It  is  a  deplorable  fact  that  one  of  the  richest 
islands  in  natural  resources  in  the  world  is  compelled 
to  import  a  large  proportion  of  its  food  and  clothing. 
It  is  actually  true  that  many  of  the  people  of  Hayti, 
some  of  them  graduates  of  the  best  universities  of 
France,  content  themselves  with  wearing  clothes 
imported  from  Europe.  It  is  also  true  that  great 
quantities  of  canned  meats  and  vegetables  are 
brought  from  the  United  States,  commodities  which 
could  easily  be  produced  at  their  very  doors.  The 
Haytians  claim,  however,  that  most  of  the  imported 
food  is  for  the  use  of  foreigners,  as  they,  themselves, 
eat  very  little  meat  that  is  not  freshly  cooked. 
The  people  live  almost  wholly  upon  the  primitive 


20 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


products  of  undisturbed  nature,  and  the  greater  part 
of  the  harvesters  and  other  workers  are  women. 

I  have  been  told,  upon  reliable  authority,  that 
the  majority  of  the  educated  persons  in  the  island 
take  up  the  professions,  and  that  because  there  is 
almost  no  industrial  development  of  the  country, 
the  lawyer,  naturally,  finds  himself  without  clients, 
and  he,  in  common  with  others  of  the  educated 
classes,  spends  much  of  his  time  in  writing  poetry, 
in  discussing  subjects  in  abstract  science,  or  em¬ 
broiling  his  country  in  revolutions. 

In  recent  years  I  have  received  most  urgent 
appeals  from  both  Hayti  and  Santo  Domingo  for 
advice  and  assistance  in  the  direction  of  educating 
industrial  and  scientific  leaders.  The  best  friends 
of  Hayti  and  Santo  Domingo  now  realise  that 
tremendous  mistakes  have  been  made.  They  see 
that  if  the  people  had  been  taught  in  the  beginning 
of  their  freedom  that  all  forms  of  idleness  were 
disgraceful  and  that  all  forms  of  labour,  whether 
with  the  head  or  with  the  hand,  were  honourable, 
the  country  to-day  would  not  be  in  such  stress  of 
poverty.  They  would  have  fewer  revolutions,  be¬ 
cause  the  people  would  have  industries  to  occupy 
their  time,  their  thoughts,  and  their  energies. 
I  ought  to  add  that,  in  such  deficiencies  as  these, 
Hayti  is  perhaps  not  worse  off  than  some  South 
American  republics  which  have  made  the  same 
mistakes. 


TRAINING  FOR  CONDITIONS 


21 


The  situation  in  these  countries  which  have 
overlooked  the  value  of  industrial  training  remind 
me  of  a  story  told  by  the  late  Henry  W.  Grady  about 
a  country  funeral  in  Georgia.  The  grave  was  dug 
in  the  midst  of  a  pine  forest,  but  the  pine  coffin 
that  held  the  body  was  brought  from  Cincinnati. 
Hickory  and  other  hard  woods  grew  in  abundance 
nearby,  but  the  wagon  on  which  the  coffin  was 
drawn  came  from  South  Bend,  Indiana,  and  the 
mule  that  drew  the  wagon  came  from  Missouri. 
Valuable  minerals  were  close  to  the  cemetery,  but 
the  shovels  and  picks  used  in  digging  the  grave 
came  from  Pittsburg,  and  their  handles  from 
Baltimore.  The  shoes  in  which  the  dead  man  was 
buried  came  from  Lynn,  Massachusetts,  his  coat 
and  trousers  from  New  York,  his  shirt  from  Lowell, 
Massachusetts,  and  his  collar  and  tie  from  Phila¬ 
delphia.  The  only  things  supplied  by  the  county, 
with  its  wealth  of  natural  resources,  was  the  corpse 
and  the  hole  in  the  ground,  and  Mr.  Grady  added 
that  the  county  probably  would  have  imported 
both  of  these  if  it  could  have  done  so. 

When  any  people,  regardless  of  race  or  geo¬ 
graphical  location,  have  not  been  trained  to  habits 
of  industry,  have  not  been  given  skill  of  hand  in 
youth,  and  taught  to  love  labour,  a  direct  result  is 
the  breeding  of  a  worthless  idle  class,  which  spends 
a  great  deal  of  its  time  in  trying  to  live  by  its  wits. 
If  a  community  has  been  educated  exclusively  on 


22  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

books  and  lias  not  been  trained  in  habits  of  applied 
industry,  an  unwholesome  tendency  to  dodge 
honest  productive  labour  is  likely  to  develop.  As 
in  the  case  of  Hayti,  the  people  acquire  a  fatal 
fondness  for  wasting  valuable  hours  in  discussing 
politics  and  conspiring  to  overthrow  the  govern¬ 
ment.  I  have  noted,  too,  that  when  the  people 
of  a  community  have  not  been  taught  to  work 
intelligently  with  their  hands,  or  have  not  learned 
habits  of  thrift  and  industry,  they  are  likely  to  be 
fretting  continually  for  fear  that  no  one  will  be  left 

to  earn  a  living  for  them. 

There  are  few  more  dismal  and  discouraging 
sights  than  the  men  of  a  community  absorbed  in 
idle  gossip  and  political  discussion.  I  have  seen 
more  than  a  dozen  white  men  in  one  small  town 
take  their  seats  under  a  tree  or  on  the  shady  side 
of  the  street  as  early  as  eight  o’clock  in  the  morning 
and  talk  politics  until  noon.  Then  they  would  go 
home  for  dinner,  and  return  at  one  o’clock  to  spend 
the  remainder  of  the  day  threshing  out  the  same 
threadbare  topics.  Their  greatest  exertion  during 
the  whole  long  day  would  be  in  moving  from  the 
sunny  side  of  the  street  or  tree  to  the  shady  side 
and  back  again.  A  curious  trait  of  such  parasites 
is  that  they  are  always  wondering  why  “times  are 
hard,”  and  why  there  is  so  little  money  in  circulation 
in  their  communities. 

An  argument  handed  down  from  Reconstruction 


TRAINING  FOR  CONDITIONS 


23 


times  was  once  urged  by  many  people,  both 
white  and  coloured,  against  industrial  education. 
It  was  to  the  effect  that  because  the  white  South 
had  from  the  first  opposed  what  is  popularly  called 
“higher  education”  for  the  Negro,  this  must  be  the 
only  kind  good  for  him.  I  remember  that  when  I 
was  trying  to  establish  the  Tuskegee  Institute,  nearly 
all  the  white  people  who  talked  with  me  on  the  sub¬ 
ject  took  it  for  granted  that  instruction  in  Greek, 
Latin,  and  modern  languages  would  be  main  features 
in  our  curriculum ;  and  I  heard  no  one  oppose  what 
it  was  thought  our  course  of  study  would  embrace. 
In  fact,  there  are  many  white  people  in  the  South  at 
the  present  time  who  do  not  know  that  the  dead 
languages  are  not  taught  at  Tuskegee. 

Further  proof  of  what  I  have  said  will  be  furnished 
by  the  catalogs  of  the  schools  maintained  by  the 
Southern  States  for  Negro  people,  and  managed  by 
Southern  white  people;  it  will  be  found  that  in 
almost  every  instance  instruction  in  the  higher 
branches  is  given  with  the  consent  and  approval 
of  white  officials.  This  was  true  as  far  back  as 
1880.  It  is  not  unusual  to  meet  even  at  this  time 
Southern  white  people  who  are  as  emphatic  in  their 
belief  in  the  value  of  classical  education  as  a  certain 
element  of  the  coloured  people  themselves.  But  the 
bulk  of  opinion  in  the  South  had  little  faith  in  the 
efficacy  of  the  “higher”  or  any  other  kind  of  edu¬ 
cation  for  the  Negro.  They  were  indifferent,  but 


24 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


did  not  openly  oppose.  Not  all  have  been  indifferent, 
however,  for  there  has  always  been  a  potent  element 
of  white  people  in  all  the  Southern  States  who  have 
stood  up  openly  and  bravely  for  the  education  of 
all  the  people,  regardless  of  race.  This  element  has 
had  considerable  success  thus  far  in  shaping  and 
leading  public  opinion,  and  I  believe  it  will  become 
more  and  more  influential.  This  does  not  mean 
that  there  is  as  yet  an  equitable  division  of  the 
school  funds  raised  by  common  taxation. 

While  the  education  which  we  proposed  to  give  at 
the  Tuskegee  Institute  was  not  spontaneously  wel¬ 
comed  by  the  white  South,  it  was  this  training  of  the 
hands  that  furnished  the  first  basis  for  anything  like 
united  and  sympathetic  interest  and  action  between 
the  two  races  at  the  South  and  the  whites  at  the 
North  and  those  at  the  South.  Aside  from  its 
direct  benefits  to  the  Negro  race,  industrial  educa¬ 
tion,  in  providing  a  common  ground  for  understand¬ 
ing  and  cooperation  between  the  North  and  South, 
has  meant  more  to  the  South  and  to  the  cause  of 
education  than  has  been  realised. 

Many  white  people  of  the  South  saw  in  the  move¬ 
ment  to  teach  young  Negroes  the  necessity  and 
honour  of  work  with  the  hands  a  means  of  leading 
them  gradually  and  sensibly  into  their  new  life  of 
freedom,  without  too  sudden  a  transition  from  one 
extreme  to  the  other.  They  perceived,  too,  that 
the  Negroes  who  were  master  carpenters  and  con- 


TRAINING  FOR  CONDITIONS 


25 


tractors  under  the  guidance  of  their  owners  could 
greatly  further  the  development  of  the  South  if 
their  children  were  not  too  suddenly  removed  from 
the  atmosphere  and  occupations  of  their  fathers, 
but  taught  to  use  the  thing  in  hand  as  a  foundation 
for  still  higher  growth.  Some  were  far-sighted 
enough  to  see  that  industrial  education  would 
enable  one  generation  to  secure  economic  indepen¬ 
dence,  and  the  next,  on  this  foundation,  to  obtain 
a  more  abstract  education,  if  desired.  The  indi¬ 
vidual  and  community  interest  of  the  white  people 
was  directly  appealed  to  by  industrial  education. 
They  perceived  that  intelligence,  coupled  with  skill, 
would  add  wealth,  in  which  both  races  would  in¬ 
creasingly  share,  to  the  community  and  to  the  State. 
While  crude  labour  could  be  managed  and  made  to 
some  degree  profitable  under  the  methods  of  slavery, 
it  could  not  be  so  utilised  in  a  state  of  freedom. 
Almost  every  white  man  in  the  South  was  directly 
interested  in  agricultural,  mechanical,  or  other 
manual  labour;  in  the  cooking  and  serving  of  food, 
laundering  and  dairying,  poultry-raising,  and  every¬ 
thing  related  to  housekeeping  in  general.  There 
was  no  family  whose  interest  in  intelligent  and  skill¬ 
ful  nursing  was  not  now  and  then  quickened  by  the 
presence  of  a  trained  nurse. 

Therefore  there  came  to  be  growing  appreciation 
of  the  fact  that  industrial  education  of  the  black 
people  had  a  practical  and  vital  bearing  on  the  life 


26  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

of  every  white  family  in  the  South.  There  was  little 
opportunity  for  such  appreciation  of  the  results  of 
mere  literary  education.  If  a  black  man  became 
a  lawyer,  a  doctor,  a  minister,  or  an  ordinary  teacher, 
his  professional  duties  would  not  ordinarily  bring 
him  in  touch  with  the  white  portion  of  the  com¬ 
munity,  but  rather  confine  him  to  his  own  race. 
While  professional  education  was  not  opposed  by 
the  white  South  as  a  whole,  it  aroused  little  or  no 
interest,  beyond  a  confused  hope  that  it  would 
produce  a  better  and  higher  type  of  Negro  man¬ 
hood.  Industrial  education,  however,  soon  recom¬ 
mended  itself  to  the  white  South,  when  they  saw  the 
Negro  not  only  studying  chemistry,  but  its  applica¬ 
tions  to  agriculture,  cooking,  and  dairying;  not 
merely  geometry  and  physics,  but  their  application 
to  blacksmithing,  brickmaking,  farming,  and  what 
not.  A  common  bond  at  once  appeared  between 
the  two  races  and  between  the  North  and  the  South. 

A  class  of  people  in  the  South  also  favoured  indus¬ 
trial  education  because  they  saw  that  as  long  as  the 
Negro  kept  abreast  in  intelligence  and  skill  with  the 
same  class  of  workmen  elsewhere,  the  South,  at 
present  free  from  the  grip  of  the  trade  union,  would 
continue  free  from  its  restrictive  influences..  I 
should  like  to  make  a  diversion  here  to  call  attention 
to  the  fact  that  official  records  show  that  within  one 
year  about  one  million  foreigners  came  into,  the 
United  States,  yet  practically  none  of  the  immigra- 


CUTTING  SUGAR-CANE  ON  THE  SCHOOL’S  FARM 


TRAINING  FOR  CONDITIONS 


27 


tion  went  into  the  Southern  States.  The  records 
show  that  in  1892  only  2,278  all  told  went  into  the 
States  of  Alabama,  Arkansas,  Georgia,  Kentucky 
Mississippi,  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  Ten¬ 
nessee,  and  Virginia.  One  ship  sometimes  brings  as 
many  as  these  to  New  York  in  one  trip.  Foreigners 
avoid  the  South.  It  must  be  frankly  recognised  by 
the  people  of  that  section  that  for  a  long  period  they 
must  depend  upon  the  black  man  to  do  for  it  what 
the  foreigner  is  doing  for  the  Great  West,  and  that 
they  cannot  hope  to  keep  pace  with  the  progress  of 
people  in  other  sections  if  one-third  of  the  population 
is  ignorant  and  without  skill.  If  the  South  does  not 
help  the  Negro  up,  it  will  be  tying  itself  to  a  body  of 
death.  If  by  reason  of  his  skill  and  knowledge  one 
man  in  Iowa  can  produce  as  much  corn  in  a  season 
as  four  men  can  produce  in  Alabama,  it  requires 
little  reasoning  to  see  that  Alabama  will  buy  most 
of  her  corn  from  Iowa. 

An  instance  which  illustrates  most  interestingly 
the  value  of  education  that  concerns  itself  with  the 
common  things  about  us,  is  furnished  by  Professor 
Geo.  W.  Carver,  the  Director  of  our  Agricultural 
Department.  For  some  time  it  has  been  his  custom 
to  prepare  articles  containing  information  concern¬ 
ing  the  condition  of  local  crops,  and  warning  the 
farmers  against  the  ravages  of  certain  diseases  and 
insects.  Some  months  ago  a  white  landholder  in 
Montgomery  County  asked  Mr.  Carver  to  inspect  his 


2g  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

farm.  While  doing  so,  Mr.  Carver  discovered  traces 
of  what  he  thought  was  a  valuable  mineral  deposit 
used  in  making  a  certain  kind  of  paint.  The  inter¬ 
ests  of  the  agricultural  expert  and  the  landholder 
at  once  became  mutual.  Mr.  Carver  analysed  speci¬ 
mens  of  the  deposits  in  the  laboratory  at  Tuskegee 
and  sent  the  owner  a  report  of  the  analysis,  with  a 
statement  of  the  commercial  application  and  value 
of  the  mineral.  It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  two 
previous  analyses  had  been  made  by  chemists  who 
had  tabulated  the  constituents  with  greatest  accu¬ 
racy,  but  failed  to  grasp  any  idea  of  value  m  the 
deposits.  I  need  not  go  into  the  details  of  this 
story,  except  to  say  that  a  stock  company,  com¬ 
posed  of  some  of  the  best  white  people  in  Alabama, 
has  been  organised,  and  is  now  preparing  to  build  a 
factory  for  the  purpose  of  putting  the  product  on 
the  market.  I  hardly  need  add  that  Mr.  Carver 
has  been  freely  consulted  at  every  step,  and  that  his 
services  have  been  generously  recognised  m  the 

organisation  of  the  concern.  . 

Now  and  then  my  advocacy  of  industrial  edu- 
cation  has  been  interpreted  to  mean  that  X  am 
opposed  to  what  is  called  “higher”  or  “more  intel¬ 
lectual”  training.  This  distorts  my  real  meaning. 
All  such  training  has  its  place  and  value  m  the 
development  of  a  race.  Mere  training  of  the  hand 
without  mental  and  moral  education  would  mean 
little  for  the  welfare  of  any  race.  All  are  vital  factors 


TRAINING  FOR  CONDITIONS 


29 


in  a  harmonious  plan.  But,  while  I  do  not  propose 
that  every  individual  should  have  hand  training,  I 
do  say  that  in  all  my  contact  with  men  I  have  never 
met  one  who  had  learned  a  trade  in  youth  and 
regretted  it  in  manhood,  nor  have  I  ever  seen  a 
father  or  mother  who  was  sorry  that  his  children 
had  been  taught  trades. 

There  is  still  doubt  in  many  quarters  as  to  the 
ability  of  the  Negro,  unguided,  and  unsupported,  to 
hew  out  his  own  path,  and  put  into  visible,  tangible, 
indisputable  forms  the  products  and  signs  of  civil¬ 
isation.  This  doubt  cannot  be  extinguished  by 
mere  abstract  arguments,  no  matter  how  ingeniously 
and  convincingly  advanced.  Quietly,  patiently,  dog¬ 
gedly,  through  summer  and  winter,  sunshine  and 
shadow,  by  self-sacrifice,  by  foresight,  by  honesty 
and  industry,  we  must  re-enforce  arguments  with 
results.  One  farm  bought,  one  house  built,  one 
home  neatly  kept,  one  man  the  largest  tax-payer 
and  depositor  in  the  local  bank,  one  school  or  church 
maintained,  one  factory  running  successfully,  one 
truck-garden  profitably  cultivated,  one  patient  cured 
by  a  Negro  doctor,  one  sermon  well  preached,  one 
office  well  filled,  one  life  cleanly  lived — these  will 
tell  more  in  our  favour  than  all  the  abstract  eloquence 
that  can  be  summoned  to  plead  our  cause.  Our  path¬ 
way  must  be  up  through  the  soil,  up  through  swamps, 
up  through  forests,  up  through  the  streams  and  rocks ; 
up  through  commerce,  education,  and  religion ! 


3o  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

In  my  opinion  we  cannot  begin  at  the  top  to  build 
a  race,  any  more  than  we  can  begin  at  the  top  to 
build  a  house.  If  we  try  to  do  this,  we  shall  reap  in 
the  end  the  fruits  of  our  folly. 


CHAPTER  III 

A  Battle  Against  Prejudice 

When  the  first  few  students  began  to  come  to 
Tuskegee  I  faced  these  questions  which  were  inspired 
by  my  personal  knowledge  of  their  lives  and  sur¬ 
roundings  : 

What  can  these  young  men  and  women  find  to  do 
when  they  return  to  their  homes? 

What  are  the  industries  in  which  they  and  their 
parents  have  been  supporting  themselves  ? 

The  answers  were  not  always  to  my  liking,  but 
this  was  not  the  point  at  issue.  I  had  to  meet  a  con¬ 
dition,  not  a  theory.  What  I  might  have  wanted 
them  to  be  doing  was  one  thing;  what  they  were 
actually  doing  was  the  bed-rock  upon  which  I  hoped 
to  lay  the  foundation  of  the  work  at  Tuskegee. 

It  was  known  that  a  large  majority  of  the 
students  came  from  agricultural  districts  and 
from  homes  in  which  agriculture  in  some  form 
was  the  mainstay  of  the  family.  I  had  learned 
that  nearly  eighty  per  cent  of  the  population 
of  what  are  commonly  called  the  Gulf  States 
are  dependent  upon  agricultural  resources,  directly 
or  indirectly.  These  facts  made  me  resolve  to 


3i 


32  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

attempt  in  downright  earnest  to  see  what  the  Tus- 
kegee  Institute  could  do  for  the  people  of  my  race 
by  teaching  the  intelligent  use  of  hands  and  brains 
on  the  farm.,  not  by  theorising,  but  by  practical 
effort  The  methods  in  vogue  for  getting  enough 
out  of  the  soil  to  keep  body  and  soul  together  were 
crude  in  the  extreme.  The  people  themselves 
referred  to  this  heart-breaking  effort  as  “making  a 
living.”  I  wanted  to  teach  them  how  to  make 

more  than  a  living.  . 

I  have  little  respect  for  the  farmer  who  is  satisfied 
with  merely  “making  a  living.”  It  is  hardly 
possible  that  agricultural  life  will  become  attrac¬ 
tive  and  satisfactory  to  ambitious  young  men  or 
women  in  the  South  until  farming  can  be  made  as 
lucrative  there  as  in  other  parts  of  the  country 
where  the  farmer  can  be  reasonably  sure  of  being 
able  to  place  something  in  the  bank  at  the  end  o 
the  year.  For  the  young  farmer  to  be  contented  he 
must  be  able  to  look  forward  to  owning  the  land 
that  he  cultivates,  and  from  which  he  may  later 
derive  not  only  all  the  necessities  of  life,  but  some 
of  the  comforts  and  conveniences.  The  farmer  must 
be  helped  to  get  to  the  point  where  he  can  have 
a  comfortable  dwelling-house,  and  m  it  bathtubs, 
carpets,  rugs,  pictures,  books,  magazines,  a  daily 
paper,  and  a  telephone.  He  must  be  helped  to 
cherish  the  possibility  that  he  and  his  fami  y  wi 
have  time  for  study  and  investigation,  and  a  little 


GRINDING  SUGAR-CANE  AT  THE  SCHOOL’S  SUGAR-MILL 


A  BATTLE  AGAINST  PREJUDICE  33 


time  each  year  for  travel  and  recreation,  and  for 
attending  lectures  and  concerts. 

But  the  average  farmer  whom  I  wanted  to  help 
through  the  medium  of  the  Tuskegee  Institute  was 
far  from  this  condition.  I  found  that  most  of  the 
farmers  in  the  Gulf  States  cultivated  cotton.  Little 
or  nothing  in  the  form  of  stock  or  fowls,  fruits, 
vegetables,  or  grain  was  raised  for  food.  In  order 
to  get  the  food  on  which  man  and  live  stock  were 
to  live  while  the  cotton  crop  was  being  grown,  a 
mortgage  or  lien  had  to  be  given  upon  the  crop,  or 
rather  upon  the  expected  crop,  for  the  legal  papers 
were  usually  signed  months  in  advance  of  the 
planting  of  the  crop. 

Cotton  in  the  South  has  been  known  for  years 
as  “the  money  crop.”  This  means  that  it  is  the 
one  product  from  which  cash  may  be  expected 
without  question  as  soon  as  the  crop  is  harvested. 
The  result  of  this  system  has  been  to  discourage 
raising  anything  except  cotton,  for  the  man  who 
holds  the  mortgage  upon  the  crop  discourages,  and 
in  some  cases  prevents,  the  farmer  from  giving  much 
of  his  time  and  strength  to  the  growing  of  anything 
except  cotton,  since  the  money-lender  is  not  sure  that 
he  can  get  his  money  back  from  any  other  crop. 

The  result  of  this  has  been  that,  beginning  in 
January,  the  farmer  had  to  go  to  the  store  or  to  the 
money-lender  for  practically  all  of  his  food  during 
the  year.  The  rate  of  interest  which  the  farmer  had 


34 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


to  pay  on  his  “advances”  was  in  many  cases  enor¬ 
mous.  The  farmer  usually  got  his  “advances  or 
provisions  from  a  storekeeper.  The  storekeeper  in 
turn  borrowed  money  from  the  local  bank.  The 
bank,  as  a  general  thing,  borrowed  from  New  York. 
By  the  time  the  money  reached  the  farmer  he 
had  to  pay  in  not  a  few  cases  a  rate  of  interest 
which  ranged  from  15  to  30  per  cent.  If  he 
failed  to  make  his  payment  at  the  end  of  the  year 
he  was  likely  to  be  “cleaned  up”— that  is, 
everything  in  sight  in  the  way  of  crops  or  live 
stock  was  taken  from  him.  After  being  “  cleaned 
up”  he  would  either  try  to  make  another  crop 
on  the  same  rented  farm— trusting  to  Providence 
or  the  weather  for  better  luck— or  else  move  to 
another  farm  and  go  in  search  of  some  one  else  to 
“run  him,”  as  the  local  expression  describes  the 
process.  Not  a  few  of  the  farmers  whom  I  met  had 
been  “cleaned  up”  half  a  dozen  times  or  more. 

In  addition  to  having  to  pay  the  high  rate  of 
interest  for  food  supplies  and  clothing  advanced, 
the  ground  rent  was  also  to  be  paid.  By  far  the 
greater  part  of  the  land  was  rented.  This,  of 
course,  had  a  hurtful  effect.  Because  the  man  who 
tilled  the  land  did  not  own  it,  his  main  object  was 
to  get  all  he  could  out  of  the  property  and  return 
to  it  as  little  as  possible.  The  results  were  shown 
in  the  wretched  cabins  and  surroundings.  If  a 
fence  was  out  of  repair,  or  the  roof  of  the  house 


A  BATTLE  AGAINST  PREJUDICE  35 


leaked,  the  tenant  had  no  personal  interest  in 
keeping  up  the  premises,  because  he  was  always 
expecting  to  move,  and  he  did  not  want  to  spend 
money  upon  the  property  of  other  people. 

Instead  of  returning  the  cotton-seed  to  the  ground 
to  help  enrich  the  soil,  he  sold  this  valuable  fertiliser. 
The  land,  of  course,  was  more  impoverished  each 
year.  Ditching  and  terracing  received  little  at¬ 
tention.  The  mules  with  which  the  crops  were 
made  were  rented  or  were  being  bought  “on  time,” 
as  a  rule,  and  the  farmer  did  not  have  enough  direct 
interest  in  them  to  encourage  him  to  spend  money 
in  keeping  them  in  prime  condition.  Besides,  the 
food  fed  to  the  animals  was  not  raised  on  the  place, 
but  had  to  be  bought. 

Another  serious  result  of  the  “one -crop”  system 
was  that  the  farmers  handled  almost  no  cash  except 
in  the  fall.  To  the  ignorant  and  inexperienced 
men  of  my  race  this  was  hurtful.  If  by  any  chance 
they  were  able  to  pay  their  ground  rent,  and  the 
principal  and  exorbitant  interest  charged  for  their 
“advances,”  and  have  a  few  dollars  in  cash  left,  the 
money  did  not  remain  with  them  long,  for  it  came 
into  their  hands  about  Christmas  time,  when  the 
temptation  to  spend  it  for  whisky,  cheap  jewelry, 
cheap  buggies,  and  such  unprofitable  articles  was 
too  strong  to  be  resisted.  Had  the  same  value  been 
in  the  hands  of  the  farmer  in  the  form  of  corn, 
vegetables,  fruit,  stock,  or  fowls  it  would  have  been 


36  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

not  only  less  likely  to  be  wasted,  but  it  would  also 
have  been  available  for  the  farmer  and  his  family 
during  the  whole  or  the  greater  part  of  the  year. 

The  conditions  which  I  have  described  had  a  dis¬ 
couraging  effect  upon  many  people  who  tried  to 
get  their  living  from  the  soil.  As  numbers  of  them 
expressed  it  to  me,  if  they  worked  hard  during  the 
year  they  came  out  at  the  end  in  debt,  and  if  they 
did  not  work  they  found  themselves  in  debt  anyhow. 
Some  went  so  far  as  to  perform  only  sufficient  work 
to  “make  a  show”  of  raising  enough  cotton  on 
which  to  get  “advances”  during  the  year,  with  no 
thought  of  ridding  themselves  of  debt  or  of  coming 
out  ahead. 

Notwithstanding  these  conditions,  there  were  in¬ 
stances  each  year  of  individuals  who  triumphed  over 
all  these  difficulties  and  discouragements  and  came 
out  with  considerable  money  or  cotton  to  their 
credit.  These  men  soon  got  to  the  point  where  they 
could  begin  to  buy  their  own  homes. 

In  justice  to  the  class  of  men  in  the  South  who 
advance  money  or  provisions  each  year  to  the 
farmers,  I  ought  to  say  that  many  of  them  deplore 
the  state  of  affairs  to  which  I  have  referred  as  much 
as  any  one,  but  with  them  it  is  simply  a  system  of 
lending  money  on  uncertain  security.  If  these 
advances  were  not  made,  in  many  instances  the 
farmers  and  their  families  would  starve.  The 
average  merchant  prefers  to  deal  with  the  man  who 


A  BATTLE  AGAINST  PREJUDICE  37 

owns  his  land  and  can  pay  cash  for  his  goods,  but 
the  many  ramifications  of  the  mortgage  system 
make  both  the  farmer  and  the  money-lender  slaves 
to  the  one-crop  plan.  If  cotton  fails,  or  if  the 
tenant  abandons  the  crop  before  it  is  matured, 
the  money-lender  is  bound  to  lose.  Both  with  the 
farmer  and  the  money-lender  it  has  been  like  the 
old  story  of  the  man  hugging  the  bear,  each  des¬ 
perately  anxious  to  find  a  way  to  get  free. 

From  the  first  I  was  painfully  conscious  of  the 
fact  that  I  could  do  very  little  through  the  work  of 
the  Tuskegee  Institute  to  help  the  situation,  but  I 
was  determined  to  make  an  effort  to  do  what  I 
could.  Many  of  my  own  race  had  been  reduced  to 
discouragement  and  despair.  Before  the  school 
could  begin  its  practical  help  I  spent  all  the  time 
that  could  be  spared  in  going  about  among  the 
people,  holding  meetings,  and  talking  with  individual 
leaders,  to  arouse  their  ambition,  and  inspire  in 
them  hope  and  confidence. 

My  first  effort  was  to  try  to  help  the  masses 
through  the  medium  of  the  thing  that  was  nearest 
to  them,  and  in  which  they  had  the  most  vital  and 
practical  interest.  I  knew  that  if  we  could  teach  a 
man’s  son  to  raise  forty  bushels  of  corn  on  an  acre 
of  ground  which  had  before  produced  but  twenty 
bushels,  and  if  he  could  be  taught  to  raise  this  corn 
with  less  labour  than  before,  we  should  gain  the  con¬ 
fidence  and  sympathy  of  that  boy’s  father  at  once. 


38  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

In  this  connection  I  have  often  thought  that 
missionaries  in  foreign  countries  would  make  greater 
progress  if  at  first  more  emphasis  were  placed  upon 
the  industrial  and  material  side  than  upon  the 
purely  spiritual  side  of  education.  Almost  any 
heathen  family  would,  I  believe,  appreciate  at  once 
the  difference  between  a  shack  and  a  comfortable 
house,  while  it  might  require  years  to  make  them 
appreciate  the  truths  of  the  Bible.  Through  the 
medium  of  the  home  the  heart  could  be  reached. 
Not  long  ago  I  was  asked  by  a  missionary  who  was 
going  into  a  foreign  field  what,  in  my  opinion,  he 
ought  to  teach  the  people,  and  how  he  ought  to 
begin.  I  asked  him  what  the  principal  occupation 
of  the  people  was  among  whom  he  was  going,  and 
he  replied  that  it  was  the  raising  of  sheep.  I 
advised  him,  then,  to  begin  his  missionary  work  by 
teaching  the  people  how  to  raise  more  sheep  than 
they  were  raising  and  better  sheep,  and  said  that  1 
thought  the  people  would  soon  decide  that  a  man 
who  could  excel  them  in  the  raising  of  sheep  might 
also  excel  them  in  the  matter  of  religion,  and  that 
thus  the  foundation  for  effectual  mission  work  might 

be  laid.  1 

The  first  few  students  of  our  school  came  large  y 

from  the  farming  districts.  The  earliest  need  at 
the  Tuskegee  School  was  food  for  teachers  an 
students.  I  said:  “Let  us  raise  this  food,  and 
while  doing  so  teach  the  students  the  latest  and 


A  BATTLE  AGAINST  PREJUDICE  39 

best  methods  of  farming.”  At  the  same  time  we 
could  teach  them  the  dignity  and  advantages  of 
farm  life  and  of  work  with  their  hands.  It  was 
easy  to  see  the  reasons  for  doing  this,  and  easy 
to  resolve  to  do  it,  but  I  soon  found  that  there 
were  several  stubborn  and  serious  difficulties  to 
be  overcome.  The  first  and  perhaps  the  hardest 
of  these  was  to  conquer  the  idea,  by  no  means 
confined  to  my  race,  that  a  school  was  a  place  where 
one  was  expected  to  do  nothing  but  study  books; 
where  one  was  expected  not  to  study  things,  but 
to  study  about  things.  Least  of  all  did  the  students 
feel  that  a  school  was  a  place  where  one  would  be 
taught  actually  to  do  things.  Aside  from  this,  the 
students  had  a  very  general  idea  that  work  with  the 
hands  was  in  a  large  measure  disgraceful,  and  that 
they  wanted  to  get  an  education  because  education 
was  something  which  was  meant  to  enable  people 
to  live  without  hand  work. 

In  addition  to  the  objections  named,  I  found  that 
when  I  began  to  speak  very  gently  and  even  cau¬ 
tiously  to  the  students  about  the  plan  of  teaching 
them  to  work  on  the  farm,  two  other  objections 
manifested  themselves  with  more  or  less  emphasis. 
One  was  that  most  of  the  students  wanted  to  get 
out  of  the  country  into  a  town  or  a  city,  and  the 
other  that  many  of  them  said  they  were  anxious  to 
prepare  themselves  for  some  kind  of  professional 
life,  and  that  they  therefore  did  not  need  the  farm 


4o  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

work.  The  most  serious  obstacle,  however,  was 
the  argument  that  since  they  and  their  parents  for 
generations  back  had  tilled  the  soil,  they  knew  all 
there  was  to  be  known  about  farming,  and  di  no 
need  to  be  taught  any  more  about  it  while  m  schoo  . 

These  objections  on  the  part  of  the  students  were 
reinforced  by  the  parents  of  many  of  them.  0  a 
few  of  the  fathers  and  mothers  urged  that  because 
the  race  had  been  worked  for  two  hundred  and  fifty 
years  or  more,  now  it  ought  to  have  a  chance  o 
rest.  With  all  of  my  earnestness  and  argument 
was  unable  in  the  earlier  years  of  the  school  to 
convert  all  the  parents  and  students  to  my  way  o 
thinking,  and  for  this  reason  many  of  the  students 
went  home  of  their  own  accord  or  were  taken  home 
by  their  parents.  None  of  these  things,  however 
turned  the  school  aside  from  doing  the  things  w  ic 
we  were  convinced  the  people  most  needed  to  have 

done  for  them.  .AA 

I  shall  always  remember  the  day  when  we  decided 

actually  to  begin  the  teaching  of  famung-not  out 
of  books,  but  by  real  and  tangible  work.  In  the 
morning  I  explained  to  the  young  men  our need  o 
food  to  eat,  and  the  desire  of  the ?  schoo lto  teach 
them  to  work  with  their  hands.  I  told  them 
we1  would  begin  with  the  farm,  because  t  a  was 
the  most  important  need.  The  young  men  were 
greatly  surprised  when  the  hour  came  to  egmwo. 
to  find  me  present  with  my  coat  off,  ready  to  begin 


A  BATTLE  AGAINST  PREJUDICE  4r 

digging  up  stumps  and  clearing  the  land.  As  my 
first  request  was  more  in  the  form  of  an  invitation 
than  a  command,  I  found  that  only  a  few  reported 
for  work.  I  soon  learned,  too,  that  these  few  were 
ashamed  to  have  any  one  see  them  at  work.  After 
we  had  put  in  several  hours  of  vigorous  toil  I  noticed 
that  their  interest  began  to  grow,  because  they  came 
to  realise  that  it  was  not  my  farm  they  were  helping 
to  cultivate,  but  that  it  belonged  to  the  school,  in 
which  we  all  had  a  common  interest.  The  next 
afternoon  a  larger  number  reported  for  duty.  They 
were  still  shy  about  having  any  one  see  them  at 
work,  however,  and  were  especially  timorous  at  the 
idea  of  being  caught  in  the  field  by  the  girl  students. 

Gradually,  year  by  year,  the  difficulties  which  I 
have  enumerated  began  to  melt  away,  but  not 
without  constant  effort  and  very  trying  embarrass¬ 
ments.  It  soon  became  evident  that  the  students  had 
practical  knowledge  of  only  one  industry,  and  that 
was  the  cultivation  of  cotton  in  the  manner  in 
which  it  had  been  grown  by  their  fathers  for  years. 
Another  defect  soon  became  evident,  and  that  was 
that  they  had  little  idea  of  caring  for  tools  or  live 
stock.  Plows,  hoes,  and  other  fanning  implements 
were  left  in  the  field  where  they  were  last  used.  If 
quitting  time  came  when  the  hoe  was  being  used  in 
the  middle  of  a  field  or  at  the  end  of  a  row,  the  tool 
remained  there  over  night.  Where  the  last  plowing 
in  the  fall  was  done,  there  the  plow  would  most 


42  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

likely  spend  the  winter.  No  better  care  than  this 
was  given  to  wagons  or  harness,  and  mules  and 

horses  shared  this  impartial  neglect. 

It  was  the  custom  in  the  earlier  days  of  the  sc  oo 
—as  it  is  now— for  students  and  teachers  to  assemble 
in  the  evening  for  prayers.  After  considerable 
ineffective  effort  to  teach  the  students  to  put  their 
implements  away  properly  at  night,  I  caused  a  mild 
sensation  at  evening  prayers  by  calling  the  names  of 
three  students  who  had  left  their  implements  m  the 
field.  I  said  that  these  three  students  would  be 
excused  from  the  room  to  attend  to  this  duty,  and 
that  we  would  not  proceed  with  the  service  until  their 
return,  and  that  I  felt  sure  they  would  be  more 
benefited  by  prayer  and  song  after  having  one 
their  work  well  than  by  leaving  it  poorly  done.  A 
few  lessons  of  this  kind  began  to  work  a  notable 
betterment  in  the  care  with  which  the  students 
looked  after  their  implements,  and  attended  to 
other  details  of  their  daily  round. 


' 


THE  REPAIR  SHOP 

All  of  the  broken  furniture  of  the  school  is  mended  here 


CHAPTER  IV 


Making  Education  Pay  Its  Way 

I  cannot  emphasise  too  often  the  fact  that  my 
experience  in  building  up  the  Tuskegee  Institute 
has  taught  me  year  by  year  the  value  of  hand  work 
in  the  building  of  character.  I  have  frequently 
found  one  concrete,  definite  example  illustrating  the 
difference  between  right  and  wrong  worth  more 
than  hours  of  abstract  lecturing  on  morality.  I 
have  told  girls  many  times  that  a  dish  is  either 
thoroughly  washed  and  dried  or  it  is  not.  If  a 
thing  is  not  well  done,  it  is  poorly  done.  Further¬ 
more,  I  have  taught  our  girls  from  the  beginning 
of  this  school  that  a  student  who  receives  pay  for 
properly  attending  to  dishes,  and  does  her  work 
poorly,  is  guilty  of  two  wrongs.  She  is  guilty  of 
falsehood  and  guilty  of  receiving  money  for  doing 
something  which  she  has  not  done. 

This  lesson  taught  in  the  kitchen,  with  the  care¬ 
lessly  cleaned  utensil  in  evidence  as  an  illustration, 
has  a  power  that  is  hard  to  resist.  Just  so  the 
implement  left  in  the  field  over  night  has  many 
times  been  made  to  teach  the  same  lessons— of 
warning  against  untruth  and  dishonesty.  Leaving 

43 


44 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


it  there  was  untruthful,  because  the  student  had 
said  by  his  action  that  he  had  properly  performed 
the  work  of  the  day  j  it  was  dishonest  because  the 
school  had  been  robbed  of  a  portion  of  the  value  of 
the  implement  by  reason  of  the  rain  and  dew  falling 
on  it  and  causing  it  to  rust  and  depreciate  in  value. 

In  the  beginning  our  methods  of  instruction  in 
farming  were  primitive  and  crude,  but  month  by 
month,  and  year  by  year,  steady  growth  encouraged 
our  efforts.  One  difficulty  to  which  I  have  not 
referred  was  that  the  land  on  which  we  began  work 
was  not  the  richest  in  the  world.  When  attention 
was  called  by  the  students  and  others  to  the  poor 
quality  of  the  soil,  I  replied  that  poor  soil  was  the 
best  in  which  to  begin  the  teaching  of  agriculture, 
because  this  would  give  us  an  opportunity  to  learn 
to  make  poor  land  rich.  I  told  them  also  that  if 
we  could  teach  the  students  how  to  cultivate 
poor  land  profitably  they  would  have  little  difficulty 
in  making  more  than  a  living  upon  fairly  good  or 
rich  soil. 

Apart  from  the  problems  found  on  the  school 
grounds,  our  methods  were  at  first  misunderstood 
by  school  officials  in  high  authority  throughout 
the  country,  and  our  aims  were  not  appreciated 
by  other  schools  established  in  the  South  for  the 
education  of  my  race.  I  remember  that  after  I 
had  spoken  for  an  hour  at  a  meeting  of  a  State 
Teachers’  Association,  trying  to  explain  the  mean- 


MAKING  EDUCATION  PAY  ITS  WAY  45 


ing  and  advantages  of  industrial  education  or  hand 
work,  a  teacher  arose  and  asked  the  State  super¬ 
intendent,  who  was  present,  a  very  simple  ques¬ 
tion  regarding  the  subject.  The  superintendent 
replied  that  he  would  have  to  refer  the  question 
to  me,  as  the  subject  was  one  that  he  had  never 
heard  discussed  before.  It  happened  occasionally 
that  students  on  their  way  to  the  Tuskegee  Institute 
were  asked  if  they  were  going  to  an  “ox-driving 
school,”  the  question  implying,  I  suppose,  that 
the  main  thing  taught  at  Tuskegee  was  ox-driving. 
Our  critics,  however,  did  not  know  that  at  the  time 
we  were  too  poor  to  own  oxen,  and  that  on  our 
little  farm  we  had  nothing  in  the  way  of  draught 
animals  except  one  poor  blind  horse  which  a  white 
friend  in  Tuskegee  had  given  us. 

During  the  first  year  the  training  in  agriculture 
on  the  school  farm  consisted  of  about  two  hours  of 
work  daily  for  each  of  the  young  men  students,  the 
remaining  time  being  spent  in  the  class  rooms.  The 
outdoor  period,  during  the  first  school  session,  was 
mostly  spent  in  grubbing  up  stumps,  felling  trees, 
building  fences,  making  ditches,  and  in  plowing  the 
ground  preparatory  to  planting  a  little  crop.  We  had 
few  implements  with  which  to  do  this  work,  and  most 
of  these  were  borrowed.  The  reader  will  realise  how 
hard  it  must  have  been  under  these  conditions  to 
make  the  student  feel  that  he  was  acquiring  new 
knowledge  of  farm  life.  As  I  recall  it  now,  I  am 


46 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


sure  that  the  main  thing  that  we  were  able  to  teach 
the  students  in  those  early  days  was  that  book 
education  did  not  mean  a  divorce  from  work  with 
the  hands. 

Gradually  we  were  able  to  secure  more  land  for 
farming  purposes  and  to  cultivate  what  we  did 
have  to  better  advantage.  As  the  school  grew,  we 
learned  more  about  the  proper  fertilisation  of  the 
soil,  and  how  to  use  labor-saving  machinery  more 
effectively.  It  was  surprising  to  note  how  many 
of  the  students  believed  that  farm  labour  must 
from  its  very  nature  be  hard,  and  that  it  was  not 
quite  the  proper  thing  to  use  too  much  labour-saving 
machinery.  Indeed,  many  of  the  white  planters  in 
certain  sections  of  the  South  have  until  recently 
refused  to  encourage  the  use  of  much  agricultural 
machinery,  for  the  reason,  as  they  stated  it,  that 
such  assistance  would  spoil  the  Negro  “  farm  hands. 
For  some  years  the  Tuskegee  Institute  did  not 
escape  this  charge  As  our  department  of  farming 
grew  from  month  to  month,  I  was  not  afraid  to  let 
it  be  known  that  I  felt  certain  that  one  result  of  any 
proper  system  of  hand  training  was  to  spoil,  or 
get  rid  of,  the  ordinary  “farm  hand.”  If  one  will 
study  the  industrial  development  of  the  South,  he 
will  be  forced  to  the  conclusion  that  one  of  the 
factors  that  has  most  retarded  its  progress  has 
been  and  is  the  “farm  hand.”  This  individual  has 
too  long  controlled  the  agriculture  of  the  South. 


MAKING  EDUCATION  PAY  ITS  WAY  47 

With  few  exceptions,  he  is  ignorant  and  unskilled, 
with  little  conscience.  He  seldom  owns  the  land 
which  he  pretends  or  tries  to  cultivate.  Too  often 
he  is  a  person  who  has  no  permanent  abiding  place, 
and  if  he  has  one  it  is  probably  a  miserable  one- 
room  cabin.  The  “farm  hand”  can  be  hired  for 
from  forty  to  sixty  cents  a  day.  In  fact,  I  have 
known  of  cases  where  such  men  were  hired  for 
twenty-five  cents  a  day  and  their  board ;  and  they 
were  very  dear  help  even  at  that  price. 

I  believe  that  most  of  the  worn-out  and  wasted 
fields,  the  poor  stock,  the  run-down  fences,  the  lost 
and  broken  farm  tools  and  machinery,  as  well  as 
the  poor  crops,  are  chargeable  to  the  “  farm  hand’  ’ 
whom,  I  have  been  warned  so  many  times,  I  must 
be  careful  not  to  spoil.  Such  a  man  is  too  ignorant 
to  know  what  is  going  on  in  the  world  in  pro¬ 
gressive  agriculture.  He  is  without  skill  to  such 
an  extent  that  he  knows  almost  nothing  about 
setting  up  and  operating  labour-saving  machinery. 
His  conscience  has  not  been  trained,  and  hence  he 
has  little  idea  of  giving  an  honest  day’s  labour  for  a 
day  s  pay,  and  of  doing  unto  others  in  matters  of 
labour  as  he  would  have  others  do  unto  him. 

It  will  be  seen  at  a  glance  that  such  a  worker  in 
the  soil  as  this  cannot  compete  with  the  farmer  of 
the  Northwest,  who  owns  the  land  that  he  cultivates, 
who  is  intelligent,  and  who  uses  the  latest  improved 
farm  machinery.  One  such  man  is  worth  as  much 


4g  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

to  the  general  industrial  interests  of  a  country  as 
three  “farm  hands.”  No  country  can  be  very 
prosperous  unless  the  people  who  cultivate  the  soil 
own  it  and  live  on  it.  I  repeat,  then,  that  one  of 
my  first  thoughts  in  beginning  agricultural  training 
at  the  Tuskegee  Institute  was  to  help  to  replace 
the  “farm  hand”  of  the  South  with  something 

better. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  need  of  new  ideas  m  farm¬ 
ing,  and  of  the  effect  that  the  long-continued  cul¬ 
tivation  of  a  single  crop  has  upon  the  tiller,  I  remem¬ 
ber  that  some  years  ago  I  invited  a  fanner  into  my 
office  and  explained  to  him  in  detail  how  he  could 
make  thirty  dollars  an  acre  on  his  land  if  he  would 
plant  a  portion  of  it  in  sweet  potatoes,  whereas  if  he 
planted  cotton,  as  he  had  been  doing  for  years  re 
could  make  only  fifteen  dollars  per  acre  m  the  best 
season.  As  I  explained  the  difference,  step  by  step, 
he  agreed  with  me  at  every  point,  and  when  I  came 
near  to  the  end  of  my  argument  I  began  to  congratu¬ 
late  myself  that  I  had  converted  at  least  one  man 
from  the  one-crop  system  to  better  methods.  Finally, 
with  what  I  fear  was  the  air  of  one  who  felt  that  ie 
had  won  his  case,  I  asked  the  farmer  what  he  was 
offing  to  cultivate  on  his  land  the  coming  year.  e 
old  fellow  scratched  his  head,  and  said  that  as  he  was 
getting  old,  and  had  been  growing  cotton  all  his  life, 
he  reckoned  he  would  grow  it  to  the  end  of  his  ew 
remaining  years,  although  he  agreed  with  me  that 


MAKING  EDUCATION  PAY  ITS  WAY  49 

he  could  double  the  product  of  his  land  by  planting 
sweet  potatoes  on  it. 

Soon  after  we  had  succeeded  in  clearing  the  trees 
and  stumps  from  a  few  acres  of  ground,  we  planted  a 
small  crop.  This  crop,  as  I  have  stated,  was  not 
very  different  from  others  which  the  students  had 
seen  planted  or  had  taken  part  in  planting  at  their 
homes,  because  the  school  was  poor  in  implements 
and  stock.  The  main  difference  between  our  first 
crop  and  those  which  the  students  had  come  into 
contact  with  at  their  homes  was  that  ours  was 
to  some  extent  a  diversified  crop.  The  increas- 
ing  number  of  students  soon  made  it  necessary 
to  increase  the  acreage  of  land  cultivated.  In 
the  first  few  months  of  the  Tuskegee  Institute  the 
students  boarded  in  families.  This  made  it  difficult 
to  get  the  greatest  value  out  of  our  farm  products. 
Partly  to  overcome  this,  we  arranged  to  begin 
boarding  the  students  upon  the  school  grounds. 
Here  another  difficulty  presented  itself.  It  was 
found  that  a  student  would  be  of  little  value  to  the 
farm  and  would  gain  very  little  in  knowledge  and 
skill  if  he  worked  only  a  few  hours  each  day.  We 
discovered  that,  after  there  had  been  subtracted  the 
minutes  required  for  him  to  reach  his  work,  get  his 
tools,  and  otherwise  prepare  himself,  little  time 
would  be  left  for  getting  actual  results  out  of  the 
soil.  In  order  to  overcome  this  weakness  in  our  sys¬ 
tem,  we  decided  to  follow  in  some  measure  the  plan 


50  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

originated  by  General  Armstrong  at  the  Hampton 
Institute.  This  was  to  have  the  students  study  in 
the  class  rooms  during  four  days  of  the  week,  and 
work  on  the  farm  two  days.  The  students,  however, 
for  a  long  while  referred  to  these  two  days  as  “lost 

days.” 

It  was  often  amusing,  as  well  as  interesting,  to  note 
the  intense  faith  of  the  students  in  their  books.  The 
larger  the  book  and  the  bigger  the  words  it  contained, 
the  more  highly  it  was  revered.  At  this  time 
there  were  almost  no  text-books  which  dealt  with 
industrial  subjects.  For  this  reason,  any  one  who 
wanted  to  give  instructions  in  such  branches  had,  in 
a  very  large  measure,  to  “blaze  his  way.  The 
absence  of  text-books  on  these  subjects  made  it  all 
the  more  difficult  at  first  to  combine  industrial  and 
academic  teaching.  We  partly  solved  the  problem 
by  having  the  students  work  two  days  at  some 
industry  and  study  four  days  in  the  school-room. 

We  found  it  advisable  to  consider  not  only  the  best 
system  of  teaching  in  our  practical  work,  but  the 
economic  values  also.  We  felt  that  it  would  be  pos¬ 
sible  to  teach  the  students  the  latest  and  best  meth¬ 
ods  of  performing  all  kinds  of  hand  work,  and  at  the 
same  time  show  them  the  dignity  of  such  service. 
But  in  addition  to  this  we  wanted  the  students  to  do 
such  work  as  they  could  about  the  school,  work 
which  otherwise  would  have  been  done  by  hired 
men  not  connected  with  the  institution. 


ROAD-BUILDING  BY  TUSKEGEE  STUDENTS 


V 


■ 

•'  ,■ y 


MAKING  EDUCATION  PAY  ITS  WAY  51 


We  felt,  therefore,  that  the  fair  thing  to  do 
would  be  to  arrange  some  scheme  by  which  the 
student  would  receive  compensation  for  all  the 
work  of  value  which  he  did  for  the  school.  This  we 
felt  was  not  only  just,  but  would  emphasise  another 
valuable  element  in  teaching.  The  lack  of  this 
economic  emphasis  I  have  always  felt  to  be  one  of 
the  weak  points  in  manual  training.  To  enable  us 
to  meet  this  condition,  we  decided  to  have  the  stu¬ 
dents  board  on  the  school  grounds,  to  charge  them 
eight  dollars  per  month  for  their  board,  and  then  to 
give  them  credit  on  their  board-bills  for  all  the  work 
they  did  which  proved  to  have  productive  or  money¬ 
saving  value. 

Aside  from  the  economic  results  of  the  work,  we 
knew  that  the  mere  effort  on  the  part  of  the  student 
to  help  himself  through  school  by  labour  would  pre¬ 
vent  our  making  “  hot-house  plants”  of  our  students, 
and  would  prove  worth  while  in  character  building. 
In  all  cases  payment  for  work  depended  upon  the 
individual  efforts  of  the  students.  One  of  the 
dominating  purposes  kept  always  in  mind  was  to 
give  the  student  a  chance  to  help  himself  by  means 
of  some  industry.  In  this  connection,  I  beg  to  say 
that  in  my  judgment  the  whole  problem  of  the  future 
of  my  race  hinges  largely  upon  the  question:  “To 
what  extent  will  the  Negro,  when  given  a  chance, 
help  himself,  and  make  himself  indispensable  to  the 
community  in  which  he  lives?” 


52 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


We  soon  learned  that  in  the  practical  application 
of  our  scheme  the  average  student  would  earn 
from  two  to  three  dollars  a  month  by  working  two 
days  in  the  week,  leaving  only  five  or  six  dollars  to 
be  paid  in  cash.  Some  students  were  so  much 
in  earnest  that  they  worked  out  more  than  half  of  the 
eight  dollars.  This  opportunity  proved  a  god¬ 
send  to  most  of  the  students,  as  very  few  of  them 
were  able  to  pay  the  eight  dollars  a  month  in  cash 
during  nine  months  of  the  year.  Aside  from  other 
considerations,  we  began  to  find  out  that  we  could 
quickly  test  the  worth  of  a  student  by  the  degree 
of  earnestness  which  he  evinced  in  helping  himself 
through  labour  with  his  hands.  After  a  little 
while,  many  of  the  students  began  to  take 
great  pride  in  telling  their  parents  at  the  end  of 
each  month  how  much  they  had  helped  them¬ 
selves  through  their  work  on  the  farm  or  in  other 
industries.  This  information  and  enthusiasm  came 
in  time  to  have  its  influence  in  leading  the  parents 
to  appreciate  the  value  of  hand  training. 

As  the  school  grew  in  size  and  experience,  it 
became  apparent  that  we  ought  to  find  a  way  to 
help  the  large  number  of  young  men  and  women 
who  were  constantly  seeking  admission,  but  who 
had  no  money  with  which  to  pay  any  portion  of 
their  expenses.  We  became  convinced  that  some 
of  the  most  promising  and  worthy  students  were 
those  who  came  from  the  country  districts,  where 


MAKING  EDUCATION  PAY  ITS  WAY  53 


they  had  had  very  few  advantages  of  book 
education.  They  had  little  or  no  money,  but 
they  had  good  strong  bodies,  and  were  not  ashamed 
to  work  with  their  hands.  In  reaching  this  class  of 
students  I  found  that  my  experience  at  the  Hampton 
Institute  was  of  great  advantage.  We  decided  to 
start  a  night  school  for  students  who  could  not 
afford  to  go  to  school  in  the  day  time.  The  num¬ 
ber  who  availed  themselves  of  this  arrangement  was 
very  small  at  first.  We  began  by  making  a  written 
contract  with  each  student  to  the  effect  that  he  or 
she  was  to  work  during  the  whole  of  the  day  at 
some  industry,  and  study  in  the  class  room  for  two 
hours  at  night,  after  the  day’s  work  was  completed. 
In  order  to  put  this  plan  upon  a  sound  basis,  the 
following  form  of  contract  was  signed: 

TUSKEGEE  NORMAL  AND  INDUSTRIAL 
INSTITUTE. 

(incorporated.) 


This  agreement,  made  the  seventeenth  day  of  October,  1902, 
between  James  C.  Black,  of  the  first  part,  and  Booker  T.  Wash¬ 
ington,  Principal  of  The  Tuskegee  Normal  and  Industrial 
Institute,  of  the  second  part, 

Witnesseth,  that  the  said  James  C.  Black  has  agreed  faith¬ 
fully,  carefully  and  truly  to  serve  The  Tuskegee  Normal  and 
Industrial  Institute,  in  whatever  capacity  the  said  Booker  T. 
Washington,  Principal,  etc.,  or  those  deputed  by  him,  may 
designate,  from  date  hereof  to  the  seventeenth  day  of  October, 
1904. 

In  consideration  of  service  to  be  rendered  by  James  C.  Black, 


54 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


the  said  Booker  T.  Washington,  Principal,  etc.,  has  agreed  to 
allow  said  James  C.  Black  eight  dollars  per  month,  provided  he 
remains  until  October  17,  1904;  otherwise  he  has  agreed  to 
pay  him  at  the  rate  of  one-fifth  of  that  sum  per  month  for  the 
time  he  may  have  been  in  the  service  of  The  Tuskegee  Normal 
and  Industrial  Institute;  this  latter  amount  to  include  all 
amounts  which  may  have  been  charged  against  said  James  C. 
Black. 

It  is  agreed,  further,  that  the  amount  earned  shall  be  reserved 
in  the  hands  of  the  said  Booker  T.  Washington,  Principal,  etc., 
the  same  to  be  used  in  paying  the  expenses  of  said  James  C. 
Black  in  the  regular  classes  of  The  Tuskegee  Normal  and  In¬ 
dustrial  Institute.  In  case  the  said  James  C.  Black  leaves 
school  voluntarily,  or  is  dismissed  after  the  expiration  of  the 
time  for  which  he  agrees  to  serve,  he  is  to  forfeit  all  that  the 
school  may  owe  him  at  that  time. 

It  is  further  agreed  that  no  part  of  what  said  James  C.  Black 
may  earn  shall  be  transferred  to  another  s  account,  but  shall  be 
kept  for  James  C.  Black’s  exclusive  use  after  he  shall  have 
entered  the  Day  School. 

It  is  distinctly  understood  that  what  said  James  C.  Black 
may  earn  is  for  the  purpose  of  paying  board,  and  no  part  can 
be  drawn  in  cash. 

In  witness  whereof,  we  have  hereunto  set  our  hands  and  seals. 

James  C.  Black  (L.  S.) 

Booker  T.  Washington  (L.  S.) 

„T  f  Abram  T.  Blackett 

WitnESS:  I  George  F.  May 


y 


CHAPTER  V 


Building  Up  a  System 

The  system  we  decided  to  use  at  Tuskegee 
divided  the  school  into  two  classes  of  students: 
those  who  worked  with  their  hands  two  days  in  the 
week,  and  spent  four  days  in  the  class  room ;  and  the 
night  students,  who,  through  the  first  year  of  their 
course,  worked  all  day  with  their  hands  and  spent 
their  evenings  in  the  class  rooms.  Of  course,  the 
student  who  worked  ten  hours  each  day  was  paid 
more  than  the  one  who  laboured  only  two  days  in 
the  week.  The  night-school  students  were  to  earn, 
not  only  their  board,  but  something  in  addition. 
The  surplus  was  to  be  used  in  paying  their  expenses 
in  the  regular  day  school  after  they  had  remained 
in  the  night  school  one  or  two  years  as  they  might 
elect.  The  night  school,  besides  other  opportu¬ 
nities,  gave  the  student  a  chance  to  get  a  start 
in  his  books  and  also  in  some  trade  or  industry. 
With  this  as  a  foundation,  I  have  rarely  seen  a 
student  who  was  worth  much  fail  to  pass  through 
the  regular  course. 

The  night  school  had  not  been  in  session  many 
weeks  before  several  facts  began  to  make  them- 

55 


56  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

selves  prominent.  The  first  was  the  economic 
value  of  the  work  of  the  night  students.  It  was 
plain  that  these  students  could  perform  much 
labour  for  which  we  should  otherwise  have  had 
to  pay  out  cash  to  persons  not  connected  with  the 
institution.  It  is  true  that  the  work  at  first  was 
crude,  but  it  should  be  remembered  that  in  the 
earlier  years  the  whole  school  was  crude.  All  work 
in  laying  the  foundation  for  a  race  is  crude. 

The  economic  value  of  hand  work  at  the  Tuskegee 
Institute  can  be  illustrated  in  no  better  way  than  by 
data  of  the  construction  of  our  buildings.  When  a 
friend  has  given  us  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  for 
a  building,  instead  of  having  it  constructed  by  an 
outside  contractor,  we  have  had  the  students  pro¬ 
duce  the  material  and  do  the  work  as  far  as  possible, 
and  through  this  method  a  large  proportion  of  the 
money  given  for  the  building  passes  into  the  hands 
of  the  students,  to  be  used  in  gaining  an  education. 
The  plan  has  a  double  value,  for,  in  addition  to  the 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars  which  is  diverted  into 
channels  through  which  a  large  number  of  students 
get  an  education,  the  school  receives  the  building 
for  permanent  use. 

Let  us  value  the  work  at  Tuskegee  by  this  test: 
The  plans  for  the  Slater- Armstrong  Memorial  Trades 
Building,  in  its  main  dimensions  283  x  315  feet,  and 
two  stories  high,  were  drawn  by  a  coloured  man,  our 
instructor  in  mechanical  drawing.  Eight  hundred 


BUILDING  A  NEW  DORMITORY 


BUILDING  UP  A  SYSTEM 


57 


thousand  bricks  were  required  in  its  construction, 
and  every  one  of  them  was  manufactured  by  our 
students  while  learning  the  trade  of  brick-making. 
All  the  bricks  were  laid  into  the  building  by  students 
who  were  being  taught  the  trade  of  brickmasonry. 
The  plastering,  carpentry  work,  painting,  and  tin¬ 
roofing  were  done  by  students  while  learning  these 
trades.  The  whole  number  of  students  who  received 
training  on  this  building  alone  was  196.  It  is 
lighted  by  electricity,  and  all  the  electric  fixtures 
were  put  in  by  students  who  were  learning  electrical 
engineering.  The  power  to  operate  the  machinery 
in  this  building  comes  from  a  125  horse-power  engine 
and  a  75  horse-power  boiler.  All  this  machinery 
was  not  only  operated  by  students  who  were  learning 
the  trade  of  steam  engineering,  but  was  installed  by 
students  under  the  guidance  of  their  instructor. 

For  other  examples  of  the  amount  of  work 
that  our  students  do  in  the  direction  of  self-help,  I 
would  mention  the  fact  that  they  manufactured 
2,990,000  bricks  during  the  past  twelve  months; 
1,367  garments  of  various  kinds  have  been  made  in 
the  tailor  shop,  and  541,837  pieces  have  been  laun¬ 
dered  in  the  laundry  division  by  the  girls. 

Agriculture  is  the  industry  which  we  plan  to  make 
stand  out  most  prominently;  and  we  expect  more 
and  more  to  base  much  of  our  other  training  upon 
this  fundamental  industry.  There  are  two  reasons 
why  we  have  not  been  able  to  send  out  as  many 


58  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

students  from  our  agricultural  department  as  we 
have  desired: 

First,  agriculture  was  the  industry  most  disliked 
by  the  students  and  their  parents  in  the  earlier 
years  of  the  school.  It  required  nearly  ten  years 
to  overcome  this  prejudice. 

Second,  nearly  all  of  our  buildings,  seventy-two 
in  number,  have  been  built  by  the  students,  and  the 
building  trades  have,  of  necessity,  been  emphasised. 
As  soon  as  the  building  period  slackens,  we 
shall  be  able  to  send  out  a  larger  number  skilled  m 
all  the  branches  of  agriculture. 

I  have  been  asked  many  times  about  the  progress 
of  the  students  in  the  night  school  as  compared  with 
those  in  the  day  school.  In  reality,  there  is  little 
difference.  A  student  who  studies  two  hours  at  night 
and  works  with  his  hands  ten  hours  during  the  day, 
naturally  covers  less  ground  in  the  text-books  than 
the  day  student,  yet  in  real  sound  growth  and  the 
making  of  manhood,  I  question  whether  the  day 
student  has  much  advantage  over  the  student  in 
the  night  school.  There  is  an  indescribable  some¬ 
thing  about  work  with  the  hands  that  tends  to  de¬ 
velop  a  student’s  mind.  The  night-school  students 
take  up  their  studies  with  a  degree  of  enthusiasm  and 
alertness  that  is  not  equalled  in  the  day  classes.  I 
have  known  instances  where  a  student  seemed 
so  dull  or  stupid  that  he  made  practically  no 
progress  in  the  study  of  books.  He  was  away 


DIGGING  FOUNDATION  FOR  A  NEW  BUILDING  ON  THE  INSTITUTE  GROUNDS 


BUILDING  UP  A  SYSTEM 


59 


from  the  books  entirely  for  a  few  months  and 
put  to  work  at  a  trade;  at  the  end  of  a  few 
months  he  has  returned  to  the  class  room,  and  it 
has  been  surprising  to  note  how  much  more  easily  he 
could  master  the  text-books  than  before.  There  is 
something,  I  think,  in  the  handling  of  a  tool  that 
has  the  same  relation  to  close,  accurate  thinking  that 
writing  with  a  pen  has  in  the  preparation  of  a  manu¬ 
script.  Nearly  all  persons  who  write  much  will 
agree,  I  think,  that  one  can  produce  much  more 
satisfactory  work  by  using  the  pen  than  by  dicta¬ 
tion. 

While  speaking  of  the  effect  of  careful  hand 
training  on  the  development  of  character,  it  is  worth 
while  to  mention  an  uncommonly  instructive  exam¬ 
ple.  If  any  one  goes  into  a  community  North  or 
South,  and  asks  to  have  pointed  out  to  him  the  man 
of  the  Negro  race  of  the  old  generation,  who 
stands  for  the  best  things  in  the  life  of  the 
coloured  community,  in  six  cases  out  of  ten,  I 
venture  to  say,  he  will  be  shown  a  man  who 
learned  a  trade  during  the  days  of  slavery.  A  few 
years  ago,  James  Hale,  a  Negro,  died  in  Montgomery, 
Alabama.  He  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life 
as  a  slave.  He  left  property  valued  at  fifty 
thousand  dollars,  and  bequeathed  a  generous  sum 
to  be  used  in  providing  for  an  infirmary  for  the  bene¬ 
fit  of  his  race.  James  Hale  could  not  read  or  write 
a  line,  yet  I  do  not  believe  that  there  is  a  white  or 


6o 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


black  man  in  Montgomery  who  knew  Mr.  Hale  who 
will  not  agree  with  me  in  saying  that  he  was  the  first 
coloured  citizen  of  Montgomery.  I  have  seldom  met 
a  man  of  any  race  who  surpassed  him  in  sterling 
qualities.  When  Mr.  Hale  was  a  slave  his  master 
took  great  pains  to  have  him  well  trained  as  a  car¬ 
penter,  contractor  and  builder.  His  master  saw 
that  the  better  the  slave  was  trained  in  handicraft, 
the  more  dollars  he  was  worth.  In  my  opinion,  it  was 
this  hand-training,  despite  the  evil  of  slavery,  that 
largely  resulted  in  Mr.  Hale’s  fine  development.  If 
Mr.  Hale  was  all  this  with  mere  hand  training,  what 
might  he  have  been  if  his  mind  had  also  been  care¬ 
fully  educated?  Mr.  Hale  was  simply  a  type  of 
many  men  to  be  found  in  nearly  every  part  of  the 
country. 

The  average  manual-training  school  has  for  its 
main  object  the  imparting  of  culture  to  the  student ; 
while  the  economic  element  is  made  secondary.  At 
the  Tuskegee  Institute  we  have  always  emphasised 
the  trade  or  economic  side  of  education.  With  any 
ignorant  and  poverty-stricken  race,  I  believe  that  the 
problem  of  bread-winning  should  precede  that  of  cul¬ 
ture.  For  this  reason  the  students  who  have  attended 
the  night  school  at  Tuskegee  have,  as  a  rule,  mas¬ 
tered  the  principles  and  practice  of  agriculture,  or 
have  been  taught  a  trade  by  means  of  which  we  felt 
sure  they  could  earn  a  living.  With  the  question  of 
shelter,  food  and  clothing  settled,  there  is  a  basis  for 


BUILDING  UP  A  SYSTEM 


61 


what  are  considered  the  higher  and  more  important 
things. 

We  have,  therefore,  emphasised  the  earning  value 
of  education  rather  than  the  finished  manual  train¬ 
ing,  being  careful  at  the  same  time  to  lay  the  founda¬ 
tions  of  thorough  moral,  mental  and  religious  instruc¬ 
tion.  In  following  this  method  something  may  be  lost 
of  the  accuracy  and  finish  which  could  be  obtained 
if  a  course  in  manual  training  preceded  the  indus¬ 
trial  course,  but  the  fact  that  the  student  is  taught 
the  principles  of  house-building  in  building  a  real 
house,  and  not  a  play  house,  gives  him  a  self-reliance 
and  confidence  in  his  ability  to  make  a  living,  that 
manual  training  alone  could  not  give.  The  boy  in  the 
conditions  surrounding  the  average  Negro  youth,  leav¬ 
ing  school  with  manual  training  alone,  finds  himself 
little  better  off  than  he  was  before,  so  far  as  his 
immediate  and  pressing  problem  of  earning  a  living 
is  concerned.  He  and  those  dependent  upon  him 
want  at  once  food,  shelter,  clothing  and  the  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  live  properly  in  a  home.  Industrial  edu¬ 
cation  takes  into  consideration  the  economic  ele¬ 
ment  in  production  in  a  way  that  manual  training 
does  not,  and  this  is  of  great  value  to  a  race  just 
beginning  its  career. 

While  I  am  speaking  of  the  comparative  value  of 
manual  training  and  industrial  education,  there  is 
one  other  difference  between  them  to  which  I  ought 
to  call  attention.  The  proportion  of  students  who 


62 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


complete  an  industrial  or  trade  course  is  likely  to  be 
smaller  than  the  proportion  completing  a  literary  or 
manual  training  course.  For  example,  a  boy  comes 
to  Tuskegee  Institute,  as  has  often  happened,  from 
a  district  where  he  has  been  earning  fifty  cents  a 
day.  At  Tuskegee  he  works  at  the  brickmason’s 
trade  for  nine  months.  He  cannot  master  the  trade 
during  this  time,  but  he  gets  a  start  in  it.  At  the 
end  of  the  nine-months’  session,  if  he  returns  home, 
this  student  finds  himself  in  demand  in  the  com¬ 
munity,  at  wages  which  range  from  one  dollar  and  a 
half  to  two  dollars  a  day.  Unless  he  is  a  man  of  extra¬ 
ordinarily  strong  character,  he  will  be  likely  to  yield 
to  the  temptation  to  remain  at  home,  and  become 
a  rather  commonplace  mason,  instead  of  returning 
and  finishing  his  trade,  in  order  that  he  may  become 
a  master  workman.  So  far  I  have  been  unable  to 
discover  any  remedy  that  will  completely  offset  this 
tendency.  The  most  effective  cure  for  it,  so  far  as 
my  experience  is  concerned,  is  an  appeal  to  the  pride 
of  the  student. 

Another  question  often  asked  me  is,  how  long 
it  will  take  an  industrial  school  to  become  self- 
supporting.  To  this  question  I  always  reply  that  I 
know  of  no  industrial  school  that  is  self-supporting, 
nor  do  I  believe  that  any  school  which  performs  its 
highest  functions  as  an  industrial  school  will  become 
so.  I  believe  that  it  is  the  duty  of  all  such  schools 
to  make  the  most  of  the  economic  element — to  make 


AT  WORK  IN  THE  SCHOOL’S  BRICK-YARD 
Getting  a  kiln  ready  to  fire 


BUILDING  UP  A  SYSTEM 


63 


each  industry  pay  in  dollars  and  cents  just  as  far  as 
is  possible— but  the  element  of  teaching  should  be 
made  the  first  consideration,  and  the  element  of 
production  secondary.  Very  often  at  the  Tuskegee 
Institute  it  would  pay  the  institution  better  to  keep 
a  boy  away  from  the  farm  than  to  have  him  spend 
a  day  at  work  on  it ;  but  the  farm  is  for  the  boy, 
and  not  the  boy  for  the  farm. 

An  industrial  school  is  continually  at  work  on  raw 
material.  When  a  student  gets  to  the  point  where 
he  can  build  a  first-class  wagon  or  buggy,  he  is  not 
retained  at  the  school  to  build  these  vehicles  merely 
for  their  economic  value,  but  is  sent  out  into  the  world 
to  begin  his  life’s  work ;  and  another  student  is  taken 
in  his  place  to  begin  the  work  afresh.  The  cost  of 
teaching  the  new  student  and  the  waste  of  material 
weigh  heavily  against  the  cost  of  production. 
Hence,  it  can  easily  be  seen  that  it  is  an  almost 
impossible  task  to  make  money  out  of  an  industrial 
school,  or  to  make  it  self-supporting.  The  moment 
the  idea  of  “  making  it  pay”  is  placed  uppermost, 
the  institution  becomes  a  factory,  and  not  a  school 
for  training  head  and  hand  and  heart. 

One  of  the  advantages  of  the  night  school  at 
Tuskegee  is  in  the  sifting-out  process  of  the  stu¬ 
dent  body.  Unless  a  student  has  real  grit  in  him 
and  means  business,  he  will  not  continue  very  long 
to  work  with  his  hands  ten  hours  a  day  for  the 
privilege  of  studying  two  hours  at  night.  Though 


64 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


much  of  the  work  done  by  students  at  an  industrial 
school  like  Tuskegee  does  not  pay,  the  mere  effort 
at  self-help  on  the  part  of  the  student  is  of  the 
greatest  value  in  character  building. 

Most  races  have  come  up  through  contact  with 
the  soil,  either  directly  or  indirectly.  There  is  some¬ 
thing  about  the  smell  of  the  soil  a  contact  with  a 
reality  that  gives  one  a  strength  and  development 
that  can  be  gained  in  no  other  way.  In  advocating 
industrial  training  for  backward  or  weak  races  or 
individuals,  I  have  always  kept  in  mind  the 
strengthening  influence  of  contact  with  a  real 
thing,  rather  than  with  a  third-rate  imitation  of  a 
thing. 

The  great  lesson  which  the  race  needs  to  learn  in 
freedom  is  to  work  willingly,  cheerfully  and  efficiently. 
In  laying  special  stress  upon  hand  training  for  a 
large  proportion  of  my  race,  I  ask  no  peculiar  edu¬ 
cation  for  the  Negro,  because  he  is  a  Negro,  but  I 
would  advocate  the  same  training  for  the  German, 
the  Jew,  or  the  Frenchman,  were  he  in  the  same 
relative  stage  of  racial  development  as  the  masses  of 
the  Negroes.  While  insisting  upon  thorough  and 
high-grade  industrial  education  for  a  large  proportion 
of  my  race,  I  have  always  had  the  greatest  sympathy 
with  first-class  college  training  and  have  recognised 
the  fact  that  the  Negro  race,  like  other  races,  must 
have  thoroughly  trained  college  men  and  women. 
There  is  a  place  and  a  work  for  such,  just  as  there  is 


BUILDING  UP  A  SYSTEM  65 

a  place  and  a  work  for  those  thoroughly  trained  with 
their  hands. 

I  shall  never  forget  a  remark  I  once  heard 
made  by  a  lady  of  foreign  birth.  She  had  recently 
arrived  in  America,  and  by  chance  had  landed  in 
one  of  our  largest  American  cities.  As  she  was  a 
woman  of  considerable  importance,  she  received 
lavish  social  attention.  For  weeks  her  life  was  spent 
in  a  round  of  fashionable  dressing,  dining,  automo- 
biling,  balls,  theaters,  art  museums,  card  parties,  and 
what  not.  When  she  was  quite  worn  out,  a  friend 
took  her  to  visit  the  Hampton  Normal  and  Agri¬ 
cultural  Institute.  There  she  saw  students  and 
teachers  at  work  in  the  soil,  in  wood,  in  metal,  in 
leather,  at  work  cooking,  sewing,  laundering.  She 
saw  a  company  of  the  most  devoted  men  and  women 
in  the  world  giving  their  lives  in  the  most  unselfish 
manner,  that  they  might  help  to  put  a  race  on  its 
feet.  It  was  then  that  she  exclaimed  in  my  presence : 
“  What  a  relief !  Here  I  have  found  a  reality ;  and  I 
am  so  glad  that  I  did  not  leave  America  before  I 
saw  it.” 

I  think  I  was  able  to  understand  something 
of  her  feeling.  In  the  history  of  the  Negro 
race  since  freedom,  one  of  the  most  difficult 
tasks  has  been  to  teach  the  teachers  and 
leaders  to  exercise  enough  patience  and  foresight 
to  keep  the  race  down  to  a  reality,  instead 
of  yielding  to  the  temptations  to  grasp  after 


66 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


shadows  and  superficialities.  But  the  race  itself  is 
learning  the  lesson  very  fast.  Indeed,  the  rank  and 
file  learn  faster  than  some  of  the  teachers  and 
leaders. 


SHOE  SHOP— MAKING  AND  REPAIRING 


CHAPTER  VI 


Welding  Theory  and  Practice 

Broom-making  has  been  recently  included  among 
the  industries  for  girls  at  Tuskegee.  Hundreds  of 
brooms  were  being  worn  out  every  year  in  sweeping 
the  floors  of  more  than  seventy  buildings;  and  I 
venture  to  say  that  more  brooms  were  used  up  for 
the  same  amount  of  floor  space  than  at  almost  any 
other  institution  of  the  kind.  Wherever  you  may 
go  in  the  shops,  or  halls,  you  will  find  some  one 
busy  with  a  broom  most  of  the  time.  The  litter 
in  the  carpenter  shop  or  the  mattress-making  room 
is  not  allowed  to  accumulate  until  the  end  of  the 
day,  but  is  swept  up  so  often  that  visitors  some¬ 
times  ask  me  whether  there  is  a  moment  of  the 
working  day  when  some  one  is  not  wielding  a  busy 
broom  somewhere  in  the  institution. 

It  was  this  reason  that  inspired  the  home  manu¬ 
facture  of  the  needed  supply  of  brooms.  It  had 
been  found  possible  to  supply  most  of  the  needs  of 
the  school  by  student  labour,  and  after  establishing 
a  summer  canning  factory,  which  Chaplain  Penney 
directs  while  the  Bible  School  is  not  in  session, 
making  brooms  seemed  a  natural  evolution  of 

67 


68  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

supply  and  demand.  But  investigation  showed 
that  none  of  the  instructors  knew  anything  about 
making  brooms,  and  that  the  Experimental  Farm 
had  not  yet  taken  up  the  task  of  raising  broom- 
corn.  These  obstacles  were  not  serious  in  com¬ 
parison  with  many  others  which  had  been  attacked 
in  the  industrial  school. 

A  way  was  found  to  make  the  first  sample 
broom,  and  gradually  the  needed  machinery 
was  installed.  Then  the  director  of  the  Agri¬ 
cultural  Department  discovered  that  broom-corn 
could  be  raised  on  the  farm,  and  now  students 
can  be  equipped  to  take  the  industrial  knowledge 
home  with  them,  and  also  to  grow  the  crop 
on  their  own  farms.  This  department  keeps 
the  school  supplied  with  good  brooms  at  small 
cost,  and  out  of  a  minor  need  grew  another 
useful  industry.  The  lesson  in  this  little  story 
is  that  finding  a  way  to  solve  the  problems 
closest  at  home  helps  to  build  up  the  com¬ 
munity  at  large.  It  was  found,  also,  that  the 
work  of  the  class  room  could  be  correlated  even 
with  broom-making,  and  made  to  harmonise 
with  the  Tuskegee  theory  of  education  of  head 
and  hands  together.  The  girls  were  asked  to 
write  compositions  descriptive  of  their  work  in 
this  industry,  and  some  of  these  efforts  have  been 
very  creditable. 

I  insert  one  of  these  compositions  as  a  sample. 


MATTRESS-MAKING 

All  the  mattresses  and  pillows  used  at  the  Institute  are  made  by  the  students 


WELDING  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE  69 


“  broom-making” 

“  I  am  a  nice  large  broom  just  made  Tuesday  by 
Harriet  McCray.  Before  I  was  made  into  a  broom, 
I  grew  over  in  a  large  farm  with  a  great  many 
others  of  my  sisters.  One  day  I  was  cut  down  and 
brought  up  to  the  broom-making  department,  and 
was  carefully  picked  to  pieces  to  get  the  best  straw. 
I  was  put  in  a  machine  called  the  winder.  Here  I 
was  wound  very  tightly,  and  then  put  in  another 
machine  called  the  press.  I  was  pressed  out  flat 
and  sewed  tightly.  Out  of  the  press  I  was  carried 
to  the  clipper,  and  all  of  my  seed  and  long  ends 
were  cut  off.  From  the  cutter  I  was  carried  to  the 
threshing  machine  and  combed  out  thoroughly,  and 
put  in  the  barrel  for  sale.  I  was  sold  to  the  school 
for  thirty-five  cents.  He  will  use  me  very  roughly 
in  doors,  and  when  I  begin  to  get  old,  I  shall  be 
used  in  sweeping  the  yards.  When  I  am  worn  com¬ 
pletely  out,  I  shall  be  pulled  to  pieces  to  get  my 
handle,  which  will  be  used  again  to  make  a  fresh, 
new  broom.” 

Class-room  work  is  also  made  a  part  of  the  training 
in  this  varied  catalogue  of  industries  in  successful 
operation  at  Tuskegee :  Agriculture,  basketry, 
blacksmithing,  bee-keeping,  brick-masonry,  plaster¬ 
ing,  brick-making,  carpentry,  carriage  trimming, 
cooking,  dairying,  architectural,  free-hand  and 
mechanical  drawing,  plain  sewing,  dress-making, 


7° 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


electrical  and  steam  engineering,  founding,  harness¬ 
making,  house-keeping,  horticulture,  canning,  laun¬ 
dering,  machinery,  mattress  making,  millinery, 
nurses’  training,  painting,  saw-milling,  shoe-making, 
printing,  stock-raising,  tailoring,  tinning,  and  wheel- 
wrighting. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  school  is  a  community 
unto  itself,  in  which  buildings  can  be  erected, 
finished,  and  furnished,  the  table  supplied  the  year 
round,  and  economic  independence  achieved  in  a 
large  measure.  But  this  work  is  for  the  benefit  of 
the  student,  not  to  make  the  school  self-supporting. 
Therefore,  no  one  side  of  his  education  must  be 
neglected  in  order  that  he  may  be  for  the  time  a 
more  productive  labourer  in  his  department  of 
industry.  It  would  be  wronging  both  him  and  the 
system  to  keep  him  at  the  work-bench  all  the  work¬ 
ing  hours  in  order  that  he  might  turn  out  the 
greatest  possible  number  of  shoes,  or  window  sashes, 
or  fruit  cans  in  a  week. 

For  example,  if  you  should  chance  to  visit  the 
carpenter  shop,  you  would  find  a  score  of  young 
men  turning  out  the  finished  material  for  some  new 
building  in  process  of  erection,  or  at  the  lathes 
turning  out  the  interior  finishings.  But  in  a  small 
room  in  one  corner,  having  a  hard  time  to  be  heard 
above  the  din  of  the  steam  saws,  is  an  instructor 
with  a  class  of  students,  who  are  learning  to  draw 
up  contracts  for  jobs  in  carpentry  or  building. 


BASKET-MAKING 

Special  effort  is  made  to  have  the  students  use  the  natural  products  of  the  region  as  material 


mmmm 


WELDING  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE  71 


They  are  not  going  out  with  the  expectation  of 
always  being  carpenters  at  day  wages.  They 
should  know  how  to  make  contracts  as  “boss 
carpenters,”  to  build  houses,  or  repair  them,  or 
how  to  hire  other  men  to  build  houses  for  them. 
Therefore,  they  learn  to  draw  up  specifications  in 
both  legal  and  practical  form,  so  that  when  the 
occasion  arises  they  will  know  how  to  work  with 
intelligence. 

Their  class-room  work  in  spelling,  mathematics, 
grammar,  and  English  composition  comes  effectively 
into  play.  They  find  out  that  a  carpenter  has 
small  chance  of  getting  ahead  unless  he  can  use 
his  head  intelligently.  He  writes  out  a  contract, 
for  example,  to  put  up  a  four-room  house,  on  a 
basis  of  three  cash  payments — when  he  takes  the 
job;  when  the  roof  is  on;  and  when  the  house  is 
turned  over  to  the  owner.  This  contract  is  read 
aloud  by  the  instructor,  who  asks  the  other  members 
of  the  class  to  criticise  it.  One  of  them  points  out 
a  flaw  which  would  allow  the  owner  to  crawl 
out”  of  his  bargain  on  a  technicality.  Another 
is  pleased  to  discover  that  the  arithmetic  is  so 
faulty  that  the  estimates  of  the  cost  of  material 
would  land  the  contractor  in  the  poor-house. 
Then  the  student  begins  to  see  that  his  so- 
called  academic  teaching  is  as  important  in  his 
calling  as  his  skill  with  the  plane,  the  saw  and 
the  miter-box,  and  that  he  cannot  hope  to 


7  2 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


become  a  good  carpenter  unless  he  is  also  a 
diligent  scholar. 

In  the  winter  an  instructor  in  the  Agricultural 
Classes  may  teach  his  students  to  familiarise  them¬ 
selves,  through  books,  with  insect  pests  which  infest 
the  peach  tree.  They  are  asked  to  give  their 
own  ideas  of  the  “borer,”  or  the  “scale,”  but  this 
information  is  not  allowed  to  be  packed  away  in 
the  attic  of  memory,  to  be  forgotten  like  so  much 
useless  lumber.  The  real  examination  comes  in 
the  spring,  not  in  written  papers,  but  in  the  school 
orchard.  The  same  instructor  takes  the  class 
among  the  peach  trees,  and,  with  branches  in  their 
hands,  they  are  required  to  identify  the  “borer, 
and  apply  to  the  trees  the  remedies  laid  down  in 
their  books  and  lectures. 

When  a  new  building  is  to  be  erected,  the  school 
industries  join  their  activities  in  a  common  cause. 
The  project  sets  in  motion,  first,  the  wagons  to  be 
used  in  removing  the  excavated  material.  The 
young  men  in  the  wheelwright,  blacksmithing,  and 
harness-making  rooms  see  their  work  tested,  for 
they  have  made  and  equipped  all  the  heavy  farm 
wagons  needed  for  this  hauling.  Along  with  their 
daily  work  with  the  hands,  the  patterns  and  in¬ 
structions  had  been  given  them  on  blackboards 
and  in  lectures.  They  have  trained  their  minds, 
they  have  learned  handicraft,  and  the  combined  re¬ 
sults  are  applied.  Their  wagons  and  harness  are  not 


IN  THE  SCHOOL'S  SAWMILL 


WELDING  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE  73 


to  be  sent  away  or  put  on  exhibition.  They  must 
stand  the  strain  at  home,  and  if  they  are  faulty 
it  cannot  be  hidden. 

Then  come  the  brick-makers,  turning  out  20,000 
bricks  a  day  in  the  school  kilns.  They  know 
whether  they  have  made  good  bricks  when  they 
see  them  handled,  and  put  into  the  walls  by  the 
student  masons.  In  the  course  for  brick-masonry, 
there  is  practical  demonstration  the  year  round. 
All  the  brick  work  on  the  buildings  of  the  school  is 
done  by  students,  under-  the  supervision  of  the 
instructors.  Plastering  and  repair  work,  both  in¬ 
side  and  outside  of  the  buildings,  is  in  charge  of 
the  Brickmasonry  Division.  The  theory  is  taught 
in  the  class  room,  the  practical  test  is  always  close 
at  hand.  The  brick-mason  and  plasterer  has  one 
hundred  and  eighteen  lessons  in  the  fundamental 
principles  of  the  trade,  he  is  taught  how  to  make 
estimates  on  different  kinds  of  work,  he  has  a  course 
in  architectural  drawing,  and  he  does  research 
work  in  trade  journals.  So  much  for  theory,  but 
his  diploma  of  efficient  mastery  of  his  trade  is  built 
into  the  walls  of  the  Tuskegee  buildings.  They 
show  whether  he  has  learned  to  be  a  brick-mason, 
or  whether  he  has  merely  learned  things  about 
brick-masonry. 

The  school  sawmill  turns  out  the  lumber  for  the 
building  in  course  of  erection.  The  instruction  in 
saw-milling  includes  these  branches  of  information: 


74  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

“Names  of  machines  and  their  uses.  Care  of 
machines.  Defects  of  timber  trees.  Felling  timber 
trees  and  loading  logs  on  wagon.  Measuring  lumber 
and  wood.  Industrial  classes.  Drawing.  Scal¬ 
ing  logs  to  find  their  contents  in  board  measure. 
Grading  lumber.  Running  planer  and  other  ma¬ 
chines.  Care  of  belts.  Saw  filing  and  caring  for 
saws.  Designing  and  making  cutters  for  mouldings. 
Calculating  speed  of  pulleys.  Arrangment  of  ma¬ 
chines  in  a  planing  and  saw  mill,  etc. 

Theory  and  practice  in  this  department  are  dove- 
tailed  in  the  finished  work  in  the  interior  of  such  a 
structure  as  the  Carnegie  Library,  or  the  new 
Collis  P.  Huntington  Memorial  Building,  where 
the  wood  work,  handsomely  finished  m  Southern 
pine,  is  the  product  of  the  school  saw-mill  and 
planer,  the  carpenter  shops  and  the  paint-shop. 

The  equipment  of  the  machinery,  engineering, 
and  foundry  department  and  the  courses  of  study 
offered  are  designed  to  give  students  a  thorough 
training  in  their  various  branches.  The  machine 
shop  is  equipped  with  the  latest  machine  too  s, 
driven  by  power  from  an  Atlas  engine.  All  the 
repair  work  on  the  mechanical  equipment  of  the 
school,  including  steam  pumps,  steam  engines,  wood¬ 
working  machines,  printing  presses,  metal  working 
machines,  is  done  in  this  shop.  About  fifty  different 
machines  outside  of  this  department,  including 
the  complete  steam  laundry,  the  agricultural  and 


IN  THE  MACHINE-SHOP 
Three  years  are  required  to  complete  this  course 


WELDING  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE  75 


dairy  machinery,  are  in  daily  operation,  furnishing 
the  best  possible  demonstration  of  the  theory 
taught  in  the  classes.  In  the  course  for  steam 
engineers,  the  young  men  are  able  to  study  the 
working  of  eleven  different  steam  engines,  seven 
steam  pumps,  twelve  steam  boilers,  and  a  complete 
water-works  system,  with  miles  of  piping,  valves, 
gauges,  recording  apparatus,  etc.  The  instructors 
lay  out  the  courses  in  theory  and  written  work, 
and  the  mathematical  studies  are  applied  in  work 
on  blue -print  drawings  and  free-hand  sketches. 

A  foundry  is  in  daily  operation,  and  here  the 
castings  used  in  repair  work  for  the  school  are 
made.  When  the  Tuskegee  cotton-raising  party 
went  to  Africa,  the  castings  for  the  cotton  press 
sent  with  them  were  made  in  the  school  foundry. 
In  the  plumbing  and  steam-fitting  division,  the 
tools  and  shop  equipment  are  ample  for  training  in 
lead  and  iron  work,  for  water  and  steam  piping 
systems  in  buildings  of  various  kinds.  The  plumb-- 
ing  and  steam  fitting  in  nearly  all  the  buildings  of 
the  Institute  were  done  by  the  classes  of  this  division. 
This  work  includes  sinks,  bath-tubs,  steam  radiators, 
lavatories  and  sanitary  closets.  More  than  eight 
miles  of  piping  of  various  sizes,  for  steam  and  water, 
are  in  use  on  the  school  grounds,  with  all  the  neces¬ 
sary  valves,  expansion  joints,  unions  and  fittings. 
The  tinsmithing  shop  turns  out  nearly  every  kind 
of  tin  work  from  covering  a  house  to  making  a 


76  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

pepper-box.  The  apprentice  becomes  a  first-class 
tinsmith  in  two  years’  training.  More  than  two 
thousand  one-gallon  fruit  cans  were  made  by  the 
students  last  year  in  addition  to  many  other  useful 
articles. 

The  object  of  the  course  in  electrical  engineering 
is  to  give  the  student  a  foundation  upon  which  he 
may  build  along  any  special  line  he  may  choose 
later.  Arc  and  incandescent  lighting  is  in  use  at 
the  school,  and  there  is  a  complete  telephone  service 
connecting  most  of  the  buildings  and  offices  through 
a  central  station.  The  students  learn  not  only 
how  to  install  these  systems,  but  to  maintain  them 
in  the  highest  state  of  efficiency.  The  dynamos 
and.  other  electrical  machinery  of  a  complete  power¬ 
house  are  in  operation  for  lighting  the  school  build¬ 
ings  and  grounds,  so  that  the  student  finds  practical 
work  at  every  turn  in  his  course. 

He  has  learned  how  to  build  and  equip  a  building. 
He  is  taught  also  how  to  design  it  in  all  its  parts. 
All  students  in  the  day  and  night  schools  who  are 
in  the  Mechanical  Department  are  required  to  take 
instruction  in  mechanical  drawing.  The  work  of 
the  first  year  is  largely  preparatory.  It  begins 
with  simple  geometrical  drawing,  to  accustom  the 
student  to  the  use  of  instruments  and  to  teach  him 
accuracy  and  neatness.  This  is  followed  by  work 
in  projection,  which  finds  application  in  scale¬ 
drawing  of  simple  objects.  As  soon  as  a  fair 


STUDENTS  AT  WORK  IN  THE  SCHOOL’S  FOUNDRY 


WELDING  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE  77 


knowledge  of  the  instruments  has  been  attained, 
with  a  thorough  drill  in  free-hand  sketching,  the 
study  of  design  is  carried  far  enough  to  secure  an 
understanding  of  the  principles,  and  facility  and  ac¬ 
curacy  in  the  construction  of  drawing  plans.  Strictly 
speaking,  mechanical  drawing  begins  with  the 
second  year  of  trade  work,  with  the  study  of  mate¬ 
rials  and  working  drawings.  During  the  last 
quarter  of  the  third  year  the  student  learns  how  to 
make  blue,  solar,  and  black  prints.  During  the 
fourth  year  several  excursions  are  made  by  the 
class  to  the  shops,  the  buildings  under  construction, 
the  brick-yard,  etc.  In  such  excursions  detailed 
notes  must  be  taken  and  a  satisfactory  report  sub¬ 
mitted  upon  the  things  seen  and  examined. 

The  course  of  architectural  drawing  covers  three 
years,  and  aims  to  give  thorough  instruction  in 
drawing,  building  construction  and  design.  In  all 
cases,  the  general  mechanical  and  artistic  training 
is  supplemented  by  the  course  of  study  in  the 
Academic  Department.  On  entering  the  third 
year  of  the  architectural  course,  the  student,  in 
addition  to  his  regular  work,  is  given  actual  practice 
in  office  training  and  general  superintendence. 
The  student  visits  also  the  trade  shops,  and  is  ( 
required  to  attend  classes  in  heating,  electrical 
lighting,  and  plumbing.  Many  of  the  most  satis¬ 
factory  and  imposing  buildings  of  the  school  were 
designed  in  our  architectural  department. 


78  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


It  will  be  seen  from  the  foregoing  survey  that  the 
students  are  able  to  build  and  equip  a  large  building 
from  top  to  bottom,  inside  and  out,  and  these 
object  lessons  of  their  own  handiwork  stand  clus¬ 
tered  over  many  acres,  a  city  in  itself  built  by  young 
coloured  men,  most  of  whom  were  wholly  ignorant 
of  systematic  mental  or  manual  training  when  they 
asked  to  be  admitted  to  Tuskegee. 

They  maintain  also  what  may  be  called  the 
running  machinery  of  the  institution.  The  car¬ 
penters  learn  wood-turning  and  cabinet-making. 
They  make  the  furniture  used  in  the  class  rooms 
and  dormitories.  Their  regular  division  has  been 
so  crowded  in  recent  years  that  it  was  found 
necessary  to  organise  an  auxiliary  division,  called 
the  “Repair  Shop.”  Here  all  the  school’s  repairs 
in  wood  work  are  done,  and  the  training  has 
proved  so  valuable  that  it  has  been  made  a 
separate  course  of  study  extending  over  three 
years.  In  the  blacksmith  shop  is  performed  the 
ironing  of  carriages,  buggies,  and  wagons,  of  which 
a  hundred  are  used  by  the  school,  in  addition  to 
making  all  kinds  of  implements  and  the  shoeing  of 
horses.  Hundreds  of  farm  implements  are  repaired 
here .  The  student  blacksmith  is  not  a  mere  labourer. 
He  is  taught  how  to  run  a  shop  of  his  own.  He 
learns  how  to  make  out  bills  for  material,  how  to 
keep  shop  supplies,  and  a  part  of  his  time  is  devoted 
to  mechanical  drawing  and  class  room  work. 


WELDING  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE  79 


The  division  of  wheelwrighting  is  fitted  for  work 
in  all  details  of  the  trade.  The  students  have  con¬ 
stantly  on  hand  new  work,  such  as  the  building  of 
wagons,  drays,  horse  and  hand  carts,  wheel-barrows, 
buggies  and  road  carts.  A  great  deal  of  repair  work 
must  be  done  to  keep  the  farm  equipment  in  first- 
class  shape,  and  the  shop  is  constantly  patronised 
for  this  kind  of  work  by  the  farmers  of  the  town  and 
neighbourhood.  The  school  has  a  standing  order 
for  farm  wagons  from  merchants  in  Tuskegee  and 
Montgomery.  These  are  turned  out  complete,  and 
have  proved  serviceable  and  popular.  All  of  the  har¬ 
ness  used  by  the  school,  and  a  large  quantity  sold 
outside,  is  made  in  the  harness-making  department. 
All  the  vehicles  turned  out  by  the  blacksmith  and 
wheelwrighting  divisions  are  finished  by  the  students 
in  the  carriage- trimming  shop. 

The  visitor,  therefore,  who  wishes  to  inspect  the 
Tuskegee  Institute,  is  met  at  the  station  by  a  car¬ 
riage  built  by  the  students,  pulled  by  horses  raised 
on  the  school  farms,  whose  harness  was  made  in  a 
school  shop.  The  driver  wears  a  trim,  blue  uniform 
made  in  the  school  tailor- shop,  and  shoes  made  by 
student  class  work.  The  visitor  is  assigned  to  a 
guest  room  in  a  dormitory  designed,  built,  and  fur¬ 
nished  by  the  students.  His  bathroom  plumbing, 
the  steam  heat  in  his  room,  and  the  electric  lighting 
were  installed  by  students.  The  oak  furniture  of 
his  room  came  from  the  shops.  The  young  woman 


8o 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


who  takes  care  of  his  room  is  a  student  working  her 
way  through  the  Institute.  After  supper,  she  will 
change  her  wearing  apparel  to  a  blue  uniform 
dress  and  a  neat  straw  hat,  all  made  in  the 
school.  The  steam  laundry  sends  over  to  know  if 
the  visitor  wishes  some  washing  done,  and  girl 
students  send  it  back,  proud  of  the  snowy  polish  of 
shirts  and  collars.  The  visitor  is  asked  to  be  a  guest 
in  the  teachers’  dining-hall.  The  bill  of  fare  may 
read  as  follows: 

BREAKFAST  : 

Breakfast  food,  ham,  fried  cakes,  bread,  syrup, 
coffee,  tea,  butter,  fruit. 

dinner: 

Roast  beef,  tomatoes,  rice,  corn-bread,  sweet 
potatoes,  buttermilk,  snap  beans,  dessert. 

supper: 

Cold  ham,  tea,  bread,  syrup,  butter,  milk,  fried 
potatoes,  coffee. 

In  looking  over  this  program,  the  guest  will  dis¬ 
cover  that  the  ham,  roast  beef,  vegetables,  corn- 
bread,  syrup,  butter,  milk,  and  potatoes  are  products 
of  the  school  farms,  raised,  cared  for  and  produced 
by  student  labour. 

Throughout  these  varied  fields  of  industrial  and 
productive  activity,  the  following  objects  are  kept 
constantly  in  view,  and  their  relative  importance  is 
in  the  order  of  their  enumeration: 

To  teach  the  dignity  of  labour. 


THE  BLACKSMITH  SHOP 


WELDING  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE  81 


To  teach  the  trades,  thoroughly  and  effectively. 
To  supply  the  demand  for  trained  industrial 
leaders. 

To  assist  the  students  in  paying  all,  or  a  part,  of 
their  expenses. 


CHAPTER  VII 


Head  and  Hands  Together 

That  the  distinctive  feature  of  Tuskegee  Insti¬ 
tute — ample  provision  for  industrial  training — has 
received  in  the  public  prints  almost  exclusive  atten¬ 
tion  is  not  strange.  But  it  is  well  to  remember  that 
Tuskegee  Institute  stands  for  education  as  well  as 
for  training,  for  men  and  women  as  well  as  for 
bricks  and  mortar. 

Of  course,  the  distinction  involved  in  the  words, 
“education”  and  “training,”  is  largely  theoretical. 
My  experience  convinces  me  that  training  to  some 
productive  trade,  be  it  wagon-building  or  farming, 
educates.  For  example,  one  of  our  students  is  fore¬ 
man  on  the  large  and  beautifully  planned  Collis  P. 
Huntington  Memorial  Building,  now  in  process  of 
construction ;  that  young  man  is  notable  for  a  sim¬ 
ple  honesty,  an  unobtrusive  confidence  and  self- 
reliance,  that  abundantly  testify  to  his  manliness. 
That  this  manliness  is  in  large  degree  directly  trace¬ 
able  to  his  skill  and  his  experience  in  bearing  indus¬ 
trial  responsibility — in  short,  to  his  training  is 
beyond  peradventure.  Indeed,  in  running  over  the 
long  list  of  students  who,  for  one  reason  or  another 

82 


HEAD  AND  HANDS  TOGETHER  83 


_ lack  of  money  or  lack  of  taste  for  books  have 

left  Tuskegee  without  completing  the  prescribed 
course  in  the  Academic  Department,  I  have  been 
forcibly  impressed  with  the  fact  that  training  to 
productive  industry  directly  tends  to  develop  sound 
judgment  and  manly  independence  those  qualities 
of  the  mind  and  heart  that  collectively  constitute 
the  character  of  the  educated  man. 

Another  example  of  the  effect  of  the  training 
given  at  the  Tuskegee  Institute  on  the  mind  of  the 
student  occurs  to  me.  A  few  weeks  ago  it  was 
decided  to  modify  the  Day  School  system.  To 
make  any  change  in  a  great  organisation  like  ours 
requires  great  discriminating  judgment  and  care. 
The  faculty  discussed  the  change  in  its  every  phase, 
and  I  finally  called  the  students  of  the  four  upper 
classes  together,  presented  to  them  our  plans,  and  ex¬ 
plained  to  them  the  reasons  for  the  proposed  change. 

Their  response  was  not  a  negative  acquiescence, 
but  a  series  of  direct  and  searching  questions.  They 
were  alert  and  quick  to  see  minor  defects,  and  to 
give  direct  and  constructive  criticism  in  regard  to 
many  details.  Their  work  in  the  shops  and  on  the 
farm  had  brought  them  into  touch  with  real  issues 
and  real  things— their  daily  work  in  constructing  and 
equipping  our  buildings  and  in  helping  to  build  the 
institute  had  brought  with  it  an  intelligent  interest 
in  the  school  and  an  enlightened  appreciation  of 
values ;  in  other  words,  it  had  taught  them  to  think. 


84  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


It  is  obvious  that  a  man  cannot  build  wagons  or 
run  a  farm  with  continuous  success  who  is  unable  to 
read,  write,  and  cipher.  But,  far  deeper  than  the 
mere  commercial  advantage  of  academic  studies,  is 
the  fact  that  they  afford  incentives  to  good 
conduct  and  high  thinking.  To  make  a  boy  an 
efficient  mechanic  is  good,  for  it  enables  him  to 
earn  a  living  and  to  add  his  mite  to  the  productive¬ 
ness  of  society ;  but  a  school  must  do  more — must 
create  in  him  abiding  interests  in  the  intellectual 
achievements  of  mankind  in  art  and  literature, 
and  must  stimulate  his  spiritual  nature.  And  so 
Tuskegee  has  always  maintained  an  Academic 
Department,  at  present  housed  mainly  in  four 
buildings.  The  most  important  of  these  are  Porter 
Hall,  a  three-story  frame  building,  the  first  building 
erected  after  the  opening  of  the  Institute,  though 
poor  in  appointments,  yet  rich  in  traditions ; 
Thrasher  Hall,  a  handsome  three-story  brick 
building  with  well-equipped  physical  and  chemical 
laboratories ;  and  the  Carnegie  Library,  a  beautifully 
proportioned  brick  structure,  which  is  the  center  of 
Academic  interests.  The  collection  of  books  is 
well  selected,  and  the  generosity  of  Tuskegee’s 
friends  keeps  it  constantly  growing.  The  admirable 
Collis  P.  Huntington  Memorial  Building  will  be  the 
largest  building  on  the  grounds,  and  is  to  be  used 
exclusively  for  academic  purposes. 

On  the  faculty  of  the  Academic  Department  are 


STUDENTS  FRAMING  THE  ROOF  OF  A  LARGE  BUILDING 


HEAD  AND  HANDS  TOGETHER  85 

twenty-eight  men  and  women  of  Negro  blood  with 
degrees  from  Michigan,  Nebraska,  Oberlin,  Amherst, 
Cornell,  Columbia,  and  Harvard.  In  order  to  dis¬ 
play  the  character  of  work  done  in  the  Department, 
it  may  be  well  for  me  to  explain  the  course  of  study 
in  some  special  branches. 

The  aim  of  the  work  in  English  in  the  preparatory 
classes  is  to  bring  about  familiarity  with  the  mother 
tongue,  and  correctness  and  ease  in  its  use.  From 
contact  with  good  models  of  spoken  or  written  dis¬ 
course  the  pupil  learns  to  appreciate  and  interpret 
thought  well  expressed.  From  the  careful  attention 
given  his  own  language,  he  learns  to  feel  the  correct¬ 
ness  or  incorrectness  of  an  expression,  without 
slavish  reliance  upon  rules.  In  other  words,  in  these 
classes  language  is  taught  as  an  art ;  the  necessary 
rules  and  definitions,  when  they  occur,  are  treated 
as  working  principles,  and  abundant  practice  in 
applying  them  is  given.  In  the  advanced  years  of 
the  course,  technical  grammar  is  taught  because  at 
this  stage  the  pupil  has  already  become  familiar  with 
good  usage,  and  has  attained  a  certain  facility  in 
employing  the  mother  tongue.  He  should  now  be 
taught  more  thoroughly  the  fundamental  principles 
governing  the  correct  or  incorrect  use  of  an  expression, 
while  in  the  preparatory  classes,  oral  exercises  in 
narration,  description  and  reproduction  predominate. 
The  pupil  is  encouraged  to  talk  simply  and  naturally 
about  something  he  has  seen  or  heard  or  read.  He 


86  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

is  taught  to  exercise  care  for  unity,  logical  sequence 
of  ideas,  and  smoothness  of  transition.  To  the  nar¬ 
ration  and  description  of  the  lower  grades,  argu¬ 
mentation  and  exposition  are  added  in  the  advanced 
work,  these  subjects  being  expanded  to  form  the 
basis  of  a  course  in  public  speaking. 

The  pupil  obtains  material  for  themes  and  debates 
from  his  experience  in  shop  and  field  and  from  lit¬ 
erature  technical  to  the  subject.  The  themes  are 
submitted  for  correction  and  in  due  course  com¬ 
mitted,  and,  after  preliminary  training,  delivered  at 
the  monthly  public  rhetoricals  of  the  class.  Except 
for  the  written  brief  required  of  each  disputant, 
debates  are  extemporaneous.  In  the  preparation 
of  a  program  like  the  following,  considerable  ex¬ 
perience  and  research  must  necessarily  be  involved. 


“A”  MIDDLE  RHETORICAL 

EVENING  PRAYER  SERVICE 

A  Model  Southern  Farm 

“It  is  this  noble  agriculture  which  feeds  the  human  race  and 
all  the  humbler  orders  of  animated  nature  dependent  on  man. 

—Speech  by  Edward  Everett 

*  *  * 

Orchestra 

Overture  „  - 

>  Choosing  and  Preparing  the  Land .  Teny  R Zt 

2  Songi^Old  Folks'  at'Home”  V.V:::.Vh  MiLe  Quartern 

3  Constructing  the  Farm  House.... . . 

4  Constructing  the  Chimneys  and  Fireplaces ..  Charles 

. Miss  Young,  Mr.  Weaver 


HEAD  AND  HANDS  TOGETHER  87 


5  Care  of  the  Farm  House 

(a)  The  Dining-room  and  Kitchen 

(b)  Bedrooms  and  Parlour . 

Music . Waltz.  .  . 

6  The  Kitchen  Garden . 

7  The  Poultry-yard  and  Contents .  . 

Music . 

8  A  Model  Storage  Barn .  . . 

9  The  Farm  Machinery . 

Music . March .  . 

10  The  Dairy  Herd . 

11  A  Model  Dairy-barn . 

Music . Polka .  . . 


. Miss  Emma  Smith 

.  .  .  .Miss  Pearl  Rousseau 

. Orchestra 

.  .  .  .Cornelius  Richardson 
.  .  .  .Miss  Stella  Pinkston 
A  Middle  Brass  Quartett 

.  . . . Thomas  Brittain 

. William  Lewis 

. Orchestra 

. Mr.  Wesley  McCoy 

. Wnt.  J .  Williams 

. Orchestra 


Exercises  like  the  foregoing  not  only  assist  the 
Industrial  Department  in  its  work  with  the  pupil, 
but '  offer  admirable  Academic  training  in  English 
and  in  practical  elocution.  Besides  the  discussion 
relative  to  industrial  pursuits,  the  pupils  consider 
questions  important  to  them  as  future  citizens  and 
men  of  business.  This  phase  of  the  English  work 
trains  the  pupil  to  rigorous  methods  of  reasoning, 
and  to  clearness  and  forcefulness  in  public  discourse. 

Literature  in  the  preparatory  classes  is  taught 
under  the  head  of  reading.  The  physical  requisites 
to  effective  expression  receive  due  attention,  but 
great  stress  is  laid  upon  reading  as  a  means  by 
which  the  mind  is  furnished  with  knowledge. 
Literature  is  taught  by  reading  and  language  teach¬ 
ers,  the  former  dealing  with  the  subject-matter  for 
literary  values,  the  latter  having  an  eye  to  con¬ 
struction.  The  course  is  of  twofold  importance; 
contact  with  finished  style  gives  to  the  pupil  a  sense 

\ 


88  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

of  what  is  most  fitting  and  beautiful  in  expression, 
thus  proving  an  invaluable  aid  to  his  own  oral 
and  written  diction.  The  work  of  the  Senior  class 
in  English  literature  and  composition  aims  to 
develop  in  the  pupil  power  to  think  clearly  and 
logically,  and  ability  to  appreciate  thought  ex¬ 
pressed  by  others ;  to  teach  clearness  and  cor¬ 
rectness  of  expression  together  with  facility  and 
power  in  the  use  of  language ;  to  produce  an  apprecia¬ 
tion  of  good  books  by  contact  with  classic  authors; 
and  to  give,  by  an  outline  study  of  the  history  of 
English  literature,  a  proper  setting  for  the  authors 
read.  To  supplement  the  class-room  work  in  litera¬ 
ture,  a  course  in  home  reading  has  been  arranged. 
It  is  the  aim  of  the  division  of  English  to  make  the 
home  reading  as  much  like  play  as  possible,  a  relax¬ 
ation  from  sterner  requirements  of  the  curriculum, 
an  occupation  for  idle  hours.  By  persuading  the 
most  stupid  pupil  to  read  books  which  appeal  to 
him,  the  teacher  can  lead  him  gradually  to  more 
solid  literature. 

As  personal  achievements  appeal  to  the  unde¬ 
veloped  mind  more  strongly  than  the  chronicles  of 
conflicts  and  political  changes,  the  first  course  in 
history  deals  with  biography.  The  student  is  given 
facts  in  the  lives  of  men,  Washington,  Jefferson, 
Adams,  and  is  made  to  feel  that  these  men 
actually  lived,  that  they  are  not  mere  abstract 
influences.  At  the  very  beginning  their  lives  are 


HEAD  AND  HANDS  TOGETHER  89 

studied  in  the  light  of  character  building.  After 
the  first  ideas  of  character  building  have  been 
presented,  the  next  step  is  to  awaken  the  power  of 
the  observation,  to  quicken  the  imagination.  The 
elementary  course  in  English  history  is  adapted  to 
this  purpose. 

The  course  in  advanced  American  History  is 
for  developing  judgment  and  discrimination.  Little 
attention  is  given  to  the  periods  of  discovery  and 
of  colonisation,  except  to  show  the  student  how 
the  American  people,  as  is  true  of  all  great  nations, 
began  as  cultivators  of  the  soil. 

The  peculiar  position  of  the  Negro  in  American 
History,  from  the  earliest  days  of  the  slave  trade, 
through  the  wars  with  England  and  the  Civil  War, 
to  the  present  time,  is  given  due  importance,  not 
by  isolating  it,  but  by  introducing  it  in  its  proper 
place  with  other  events. 

In  the  Senior  year,  a  course  is  given  in  the  State 
History  of  Alabama,  for  the  benefit  of  those  who 
wish  to  fit  themselves  as  teachers  in  that  State. 
The  object  is  to  acquaint  the  Normal  student  with 
the  important  facts  in  the  settlement  of  Alabama, 
its  entrance  into  the  Union,  and  its  present  industrial 
and  political  status. 

During  the  first  three  years,  the  course  in  Geog¬ 
raphy  is  taught  with  Nature  Study.  In  the  last 
year,  Geography  is  combined  with  History.  The 
purpose  of  this  arrangement  is  obvious.  Geography 


9° 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


is  really  a  broad  phase  of  Nature  Study.  Questions 
regarding  natural  features,  the  sun,  moon,  planets, 
water-courses,  physical  points,  etc.,  are  explained 
in  the  course  in  Nature  Study.  Hence  the  pupil 
appreciates  all  the  more  what  is  said  about  them 
when  he  comes  to  them  again  in  his  Geography. 
The  same  intimacy  is  found  in  the  study  of  plant 
and  animal  life,  minerals,  and  rock  formation. 

Tuskegee  is  admirably  fitted  for  the  study  of 
Geography,  and  every  effort  is  made  to  make  the 
teaching  easily  grasped.  The  industrial  shops  are 
always  open  to  academic  teachers  and  students. 
When  the  student  takes  up  the  subject  of  lumber, 
for  example,  he  is  able,  by  going  to  the  shops,  to 
understand  the  various  stages  through  which  the 
rough,  uncut  log  must  pass  in  order  to  make  suitable 
building  material.  Then,  too,  the  school  grounds 
are  put  to  excellent  use.  Various  kinds  of  plant- 
life  are  studied;  hills,  valleys,  small  water-courses, 
examples  of  erosion,  different  kinds  of  soil,  are  seen 
on  every  hand.  In  connection  with  Nature  Study 
and  Geography,  the  pupils  are  urged  to  be  on  the 
alert  to  detect  something  new,  something  which 
they  have  seen  often,  but  can  afterward  view  in  a 
new  light  because  of  the  information  obtained. 

The  course  in  mathematics  covers  a  period  of 
seven  years,  including  Arithmetic,  Algebra,  Geome¬ 
try,  Trigonometry,  and  Surveying.  Throughout  the 
entire  course,  the  aim  is  to  give  the  student,  as  far 


WOOD-TURNING  MACHINERY 


HEAD  AND  HANDS  TOGETHER 


9i 


as  possible,  a  practical  knowledge  of  the  subjects 
embraced.  The  pupil  is  required  to  deal  in  things 
associated  with  figures,  rather  than  with  figures  alone. 
In  multiples  and  measures,  his  work  is  brought  in 
close  and  effective  touch  with  the  trade  work.  For 
example,  the  carpenter  must  get  the  greatest  com¬ 
mon  length  of  board  from  several  different  lengths 
without  any  waste:  the  dressmaker  must  find  and 
use  the  smallest  number  of  yards  of  cloth  that 
suffice  for  the  making  of  dresses  of  different  sizes. 
Mathematics  is  shown  to  be  an  instrument  of  econ¬ 
omy.  In  fractions,  estimates  are  made  of  the  cost  of 
bales  of  cotton  at  prevailing  prices.  The  student  is 
often  required  to  weigh  out  in  each  case  the  amounts 
of  various  articles  which  can  be  purchased  for  given 
amounts  of  money.  In  compound  quantities  and 
in  the  various  measurements,  the  student  does  the 
measuring.  Yards,  rods,  tons  of  coal,  and  tons  of 
hay  are  measured.  In  carpeting,  he  is  required  to 
carpet  a  room.  In  lathing  and  plastering,  he  must 
witness  the  work  in  active  operation.  In  percentage, 
problems  which  must  be  solved  in  the  daily  work 
the  student  is  able  to  get  from  the  industrial  depart¬ 
ments.  For  example,  if  the  leather  for  a  pair  of 
shoes  costs  a  definite  amount,  and  the  shoes  are  sold 
at  a  definite  rate,  what  per  cent,  is  gained  ?  Or  for 
what  must  they  be  sold  so  as  to  gain  a  certain  per 
cent.  ? 

Much  actual  outdoor  work  is  done  during  the 


g 2  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

study  of  trigonometry,  and  in  surveying  the  student 
learns  to  lay  off  lots,  country  roads,  to  plot,  map, 
etc.  The  last  term  of  the  Senior  year  is  spent  in 
mastering  the  elements  of  Civil  Engineering,  work 
for  which  the  first  two  terms  have  prepared  the 
student.  The  South  is  sorely  in  need  of  surveyors 
and  men  grounded  in  the  elements  of  engineering , 
positions  of  this  character  are  easy  to  find,  and 
pay  well. 

The  object  of  the  work  in  Nature  Study,  as  taught 
in  the  Academic  Department,  is  to  train  the  faculty 
of  observation,  create  an  interest  in  and  love  of 
nature,  gain  knowledge  which  will  be  of  service  in  the 
future,  and  to  cultivate  a  practical  interest  in  Agri¬ 
culture.  Knowledge  of  things  near  at  hand  should 
be  acquired  first,  and  later  of  things  more  distant; 
a  clear  and  definite  acquaintance  with  home  sur¬ 
roundings  (plants,  animals,  minerals,  natural  phe¬ 
nomena,  and  the  human  body)  is  made  the  basis  of 
the  teaching  as  a  foundation  for  more  advanced 
study.  In  the  assignment  of  work  and  selection  of 
material  for  study,  the  special  needs  of  special  classes 
are  kept  in  mind,  the  work  being  determined  by  the 
student’s  power  of  observation  and  interpretation. 
Subjects  for  study  are  selected  largely  according  to 
the  seasons.  This  work  is  conducted  with  reference 
to  its  correlation  with  Geography,  language,  and 
other  subjects.  Field  excursions,  collecting  and 
preserving  specimens,  and  gardening  of  various 


HEAD  AND  HANDS  TOGETHER 


93 


kinds,  are  prominent  features  of  the  courses  in 
Nature  Study. 

The  school  offers  also  through  the  Academic 
Department,  a  two-years’  course,  especially  treat¬ 
ing  of  the  affairs  of  the  farm.  Instruction  is 
by  laboratory  work,  supplemented  by  text -books, 
lectures,  and  reference  readings,  which  are  as¬ 
signed  from  standard  volumes  and  periodicals. 
The  student  is  brought  into  close  practical  contact 
with  his  subject.  He  studies  farm  implements, 
traces  root  systems  of  corn  and  other  crops,  tests 
germination  of  seeds,  determines  the  properties  of 
soils  and  the  effects  of  various  crops  and  of  rotation 
of  crops  upon  soil  fertility.  He  tests  milk,  studies 
butter  and  cheese,  and  judges  a  variety  of  animals. 

The  school  owns  an  ample  supply  of  plows,  culti¬ 
vators,  planters,  cutters,  engines,  etc.  It  has  ex¬ 
tensive  collections  of  agricultural  plants,  seeds  and 
products.  Laboratories  are  well  equipped  with 
apparatus  for  the  study  of  manures,  fertilisers,  soil 
bacteriology,  germination  of  seeds,  and  judging 
cotton  and  corn.  The  Institute  grounds  and  the 
fields  and  orchards  of  the  Experiment  Station  are 
always  available  for  illustrations  in  class  work. 
Collections  of  seeds  and  woods,  cabinets  of  bene¬ 
ficial  and  noxious  insects,  photographs,  maps, 
charts,  and  drawings  afford  valuable  material 
for  study  and  demonstration.  Specimens  of  draft 
and  coach  horses,  Jersey,  Ayrshire  and  Holstein 


94 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


cattle,  Southdown  sheep,  and  Berkshire  swine, 
afford  material  for  judging.  In  the  Dairy  Division 
is  a  complete  outfit  for  cream  separation  and 
butter  and  cheese  making.  We  have,  also,  levels, 
microscopes,  and  an  extensive  list  of  agricultural 
journals,  a  complete  file  of  experiment  station 
bulletins  from  all  the  States,  and  an  excellent  assort¬ 
ment  of  standard  reference  books. 

The  one  purpose  is  to  acquaint  the  student  with 
the  facts  and  principles  needed  for  the  improve¬ 
ment  of  soils,  the  increase  of  fertility,  the  nature 
of  the  various  crops,  the  conditions  governing 
their  successful  and  economic  production,  and  with 
the  general  development  of  agriculture.  The  stu¬ 
dent  is  also  made  familiar  with  animals,  first,  as 
to  fitness  for  specific  purposes;  second,  as  to  their 
care  and  management;  third,  as  to  their  improve¬ 
ment  by  breeding;  and  fourth,  as  to  the  manufacture 
of  animal  products.  He  learns  the  principles  of 
orchard  management,  small  fruit  culture,  "vegetable 
gardening  and  plant  propagation,  as  well  as  the 
evolution  of  cultivated  plants.  A  sense  of  the 
beautiful  is  cultivated  and  given  expression  in  flori¬ 
culture,  to  the  end  that  more  of  nature’s  beauty 
shall  pervade  the  home  and  its  surroundings. 

The  work  of  each  year  of  strictly  mental  education 
is  prescribed.  'We  aim  to  arouse  the  students  interest 
in  important  educational  problems,  with  especial  ref¬ 
erence  to  the  South,  rewarding  that  interest  with 


HEAD  AND  HANDS  TOGETHER  95 


practical  suggestions ;  and  to  train  efficiently  teachers 
who  will  render  valuable  service  in  school  and 
society.  The  courses  in  Normal  Education  comprise 
a  critical  study  of  human  nature ;  an  outline  history 
of  American  education ;  general  and  special  methods 
in  teaching;  and  school  organisation  and  adminis¬ 
tration.  The  students  in  these  courses  observe  ex¬ 
pert  teaching  in  a  primary  school  under  the  direc¬ 
tion  of  the  Academic  Department.  Senior  students 
are  not  only  permitted  to  observe,  but  also  to  prac¬ 
tice  teaching  under  supervision.  This  division  of 
Education  is  being  strengthened,  and  keeps  steadily 
before  it  the  fact  that  Tuskegee  is  to  send  out 
teachers  as  well  as  trained  artisans  and  industrial 
leaders. 

The  courses  in  Chemistry  and  in  Physics,  more 
clearly  than  any  other  Academic  courses,  comple¬ 
ment  the  work  of  the  Industrial  Department.  Thus 
in  the  course  in  Chemistry,  operations  in  the  shops 
and  on  the  farm,  involving  chemical  reactions,  are 
drawn  upon  as  illustrative  material  for  the  first 
year’s  work.  The  artisan,  with  a  knowledge  of 
chemical  matters,  grows  and  thinks,  and  is  not 
automatic.  The  courses  are  not  those  in  which  the 
students  are  merely  taught  how  to  do,  but  to  do. 
Soap  is  taken  apart  and  put  together.  Polishes, 
lacquers,  chemical  cleansers,  are  not  known  merely 
as  formulae ;  but  are  actually  made  in  small  quanti¬ 
ties  by  students  themselves,  so  as  to  develop  their 


96  working  with  the  hands 

power  of  doing  things.  Is  this  flour,  bran,  and  baking 
powder,  pure  ?  Is  the  fertiliser  of  high  grade  ? 
How  shall  the  sick-room  be  disinfected  ?  How  shall 
we  destroy  the  cabbage-devouring  worm?  To 
these  and  similar  questions,  the  division  of  Chem¬ 
istry  seeks  to  enable  students  readily  to  find  answers. 
In  the  course  in  Physics,  the  principles  taken  up  are 
illustrated  by  the  actual  work  going  on  in  the  outside 
building  construction,  and  the  farm  work.  Great 
stress  is  laid  upon  the  bearing  of  Physics  on 
tools,  machines,  and  operations  of  the  shops.  In¬ 
spection  of  the  various  industrial  plants  in  the 
vicinity  of  Tuskegee  is  required  in  order  that  the 
student  may  see  the  applications  of  Physics  to  the 
processes  in  use.  Throughout  the  courses,  a  note¬ 
book  is  accurately  kept  by  each  student,  in  which 
are  recorded  the  results  of  his  observations  and 
experiments,  together  with  sketches  for  illustration. 

An  exercise  given  to  one  of  the  Junior  classes  in 
the  night  school,  not  long  ago,  shows  how  the 
attempt  is  made,  even  in  so  simple  a  matter  as  a 
spelling  lesson,  to  correlate  the  Academic  work  with 
the  Industrial. 

The  theme  of  this  lesson  was  “  Building  a  Chest,” 
and  the  teacher  brought  to  the  class  a  small  chest 
in  which  were  placed  most  of  the  tools  and  materials 
needed  in  its  construction.  The  teacher  exhibited 
each  article  as  he  came  to  it  in  telling  the  story, 
and  required  the  student  to  spell  the  word  and  theq 


HEAD  AND  HANDS  TOGETHER  97 


write  it  on  the  blackboard  as  neatly  as  possible.  The 
synonyms  and  homonyms  of  some  of  the  words 
were  given,  and  the  student  required  to  illustrate 
their  difference  in  spelling  and  use. 

The  teacher  proceeded  as  follows,  eliciting  from 
the  students  the  words  in  italics:  To  build  this 
article  we  must  have  Timber,  such  as  Pine,  or 
Cedar,  or  Cypress,  and  other  Material.  We  also 
need  several  Tools,  such  as  a  Plane  to  Smooth  the 
Planks;  a  Chisel  to  cut  these  Dove-tails;  and  some 
Glue,  with  which  to  fasten  the  pieces  together 
substantially,  as  we  shall  not  need  Nails.  Then 
with  these  Sprigs  we  put  on  this  Moulding,  which 
should  be  cut  in  a  Miter,  or  we  may  cut  it  by  this 
Bevel,  which  can  be  changed  to  a  Square.  We  now 
put  on  these  Butts — not  Strap-Hinges — with  Screws. 
In  front  must  be  Bored  a  hole  and  the  Lock  put  on; 
then  the  Escutcheon  over  the  hole  as  a  finish;  the 
Key  is  inserted,  and  we  have  completed  the  Chest. 
A  Carpenter — one  engaged  in  Carpentry — -or  a 
Cabinet-Maker,  builds  things  like  this,  and  we  call 
him  a  Mechanic. 

The  practical  usefulness  of  the  Academic  Depart¬ 
ment  lies  in  the  aid  which  the  study  of  physics  and 
chemistry  and  mathematics  and  drawing  offers  to 
the  blacksmith,  the  carpenter,  the  nurse,  and  the 
housewife — an  aid  that  does  much  to  transform 
listlessness  and  drudgery  into  vivacity  and  gratify¬ 
ing  efficiency. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


Lessons  in  Home-Making 

While  the  men  must  work  to  get  and  keep  the 
home,  the  wives  and  daughters  must,  in  a  great 
measure,  supply  and  guard  the  health,  strength, 
morals,  and  happiness  of  the  family.  Their  re¬ 
sponsibility  is  great  in  all  that  makes  for  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  the  individual  and  the  community.  The 
home  is  built-  on  an  ancient  foundation  among 
the  white  population  of  this  country,  especially 
in  the  rural  communities.  The  Negro  has 
had  to  learn  the  meaning  of  home  since  he  learned 
the  meaning  of  freedom.  All  work  which  has  to 
do  with  his  uplifting  must  begin  with  his  home 
and  its  surroundings. 

Those  familiar  only  with  the  rural  life  of  the 
North  and  West,  where,  even  in  poverty,  there  are 
deep-grounded  habits  of  thrift  and  comfort,  do  not 
know  what  home  lacks  among  great  masses  of  the 
cabin-dwellers  of  the  South.  Nowhere  is  there  a 
nobler  opportunity  than  that  which  confronts  the 
young  women  who  are  learning  at  Hampton  and 
Tuskegee,  and  other  educational  institutions,  what 
home  should  be.  The  crowded  one-room  cabin 

98 


LESSONS  IN  HOME-MAKING 


99 


affects  the  moral  and  physical  life  of  the  family,  it 
slowly  destroys  the  right  inclinations  given  by 
nature  to  every  child,  and  develops  a  manner  of 
life  which,  cooperating  with  other  causes,  produces 
mental  weakness,  loss  of  ambition,  and  a  shiftless 
disregard  of  responsibilities. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  many  of  the  young 
women  who  come  to  Tuskegee  need  such  training 
as  will  enable  them  to  make  homes  that  are  worthy 
the  name.  It  is  the  need  first  at  hand,  and  the 
school  tries  to  meet  it  in  a  practical  way.  The 
most  liberal  courses  in  literature  and  the  sciences, 
if  they  exclude  all  practical  training  that  will  help 
a  young  woman  to  solve  the  problems  which  center 
around  her  own  hearth,  will  not  help  her  to  get 
what  she  needs  most. 

At  Tuskegee  she  is  given  a  thorough  English 
education,  she  can  go  out  from  the  school  and 
obtain  a  teacher’s  position  in  a  field  where  the 
demand  is  greater  than  the  supply,  but  after  all 
her  duty  begins  at  home,  and  it  would  be  worse 
than  folly  to  overlook  these  essentials.  It  is  inter¬ 
esting  to  note,  in  this  connection,  that,  after  the 
household  training  system  of  Tuskegee  had  been 
in  operation  for  some  time,  the  need  of  similar 
education  for  young  women  whose  natural  advant¬ 
ages  were  infinitely  greater  than  those  of  the  coloured 
girls  in  the  South,  prompted  the  following  announce¬ 
ment  in  the  advertisement  of  what  is,  perhaps,  the 


< 


IOO 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


most  high-priced  and  exclusive  seminary  in  Massa¬ 
chusetts  : 

“In  planning  a  system  of  education  for  young 
ladies,  with  the  view  of  fitting  them  for  the  greatest 
usefulness  in  life,  the  idea  was  conceived  of  supple¬ 
menting  the  purely  intellectual  work  by  practical 
training  in  the  art  of  home  management  and  its 
related  subjects. 

“It  was  the  first  school  of  high  literary  grade  to 
introduce  courses  in  Domestic  Science  into  the 
regular  curriculum. 

“The  results  were  so  gratifying  as  to  lead  to  the 
equipment  of  Experiment  Hall,  a  special  building, 
fitted  for  the  purpose  of  studying  the  principles 
of  Applied  Housekeeping.  Here  the  girls  do  the 
actual  work  of  cooking,  marketing,  arranging 
menus,  and  attend  to  all  the  affairs  of  a  well- 
arranged  household. 

“  Courses  are  arranged  also  in  sewing,  dressmaking, 
and  millinery;  they  are  conducted  on  a  similar 
practical  basis,  and  equip  the  student  with  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  subject.” 

A  dozen  years  ago,  I  do  not  believe  that  any  such 
announcement  would  have  been  made. 

At  Tuskegee  there  is  a  modest  dwelling  of  four 
rooms,  called  the  “practice  cottage.”  In  the 
shadow  of  the  massive  brick  buildings  which  sur¬ 
round  it,  this  cottage  seems  to  have  strayed  in 
from  some  one  of  the  country  roads  around  Tus- 


LEARNING  DRESSMAKING 


LESSONS  IN  HOME-MAKING 


IOI 


kegee.  But  is  has  a  trim  and  well-kept  air,  such  as 
all  country  homes  can  have,  no  matter  how  poor 
and  simple  they  may  be.  It  contains  a  bedroom, 
sitting-room,  dining-room  and  kitchen.  These 
rooms  are  comfortably  furnished  for  family  house¬ 
keeping,  but  there  is  nothing  in  them  that  is  not 
within  reach  of  any  Alabama  farmer  who  is  able  to 
make  both  ends  meet. 

Much  of  the  furniture  is  home-made.  The  creton- 
covered  chairs,  divan,  and  sofa  are  made  from 
common  barrels,  which  the  girls  are  taught  to 
make  into  furniture  in  the  upholstering  department. 
This  kind  of  utility  furniture  has  been  so  successful 
for  ornament  and  comfort  that  a  good  deal  of  it  has 
been  ordered  by  visitors  for  their  Northern  homes. 
The  floors  of  the  cottage  are  covered  with  clean, 
cheap  matting  and  oilcloth,  and  the  students  are 
taught  to  make  pretty  and  serviceable  mats  from 
corn-husks.  Whatever  there  is  in  the  rooms  is  in 
good  taste,  for  pictures,  wall  paper,  and  humble 
adornment  can  be  worked  out  in  good  taste  without 
extra  cost. 

The  girls  of  the  Senior  class  live  in  the  “  practice 
cottage”  in  turn,  four  at  one  time,  for  periods  of 
five  weeks.  They  are  able  to  put  into  practice, 
under  the  supervision  of  Mrs.  Washington,  much 
that  they  have  learned  in  their  school  life  of  three 
or  four  years.  This  is  not,  in  reality,  an  “experiment 
station,”  for  the  girls  are  thoroughly  equipped  to 


io2  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


take  charge  of  every  department  of  the  house,  and 
they  run  it  themselves,  being  held  responsible  only 
for  results. 

They  do  the  sweeping,  dusting,  cooking,  washing, 
and  ironing,  sewing  if  need  be,  and  their  own  market¬ 
ing.  The  family  of  four  is  given  an  allowance  of 
not  more  than  three  dollars  a  week  for  food,  which 
they  invest  at  the  school  store  and  the  school  farm. 
With  this  allowance  they  are  expected  to  set  the 
table  for  four,  and  to  run  their  cuisine  through  the 
week  without  any  outside  help.  This  seems  a  very 
modest  sum,  but  it  is  in  fair  proportion  to  the 
average  incomes  of  the  class  of  people  who  need 
just  such  training.  The  girls  are  thoroughly  ac¬ 
quainted  with  the  nutritive  and  appetising  values 
of  the  foods  which  will  be  available  in  their  home 
neighbourhoods . 

Distinguished  visitors  have  been  guests  of  the 
“practice  cottage  girls,”  and  have  enjoyed  the 
simple  meals,  skillfully  prepared  by  the  hostesses, 
who  make  no  extra  preparations.  On  their  small 
allowance,  and  with  the  menu  prepared  in  advance, 
they  are  able  to  entertain  without  flurry  or  em¬ 
barrassment.  They  have  been  taught  that  the 
truest  hospitality  is  in  making  the  most  of  what  one 
has  to  do  with,  and  offering  no  apologies  for  the 
absence  of  luxuries  one  cannot  afford.  The  “prac¬ 
tice  cottage”  is  well  kept,  and  is  an  interesting 
picture  in  miniature  of  the  essentially  practical 


FURNITURE 


LESSONS  IN  HOME-MAKING 


103 

side  of  the  school  gospel  of  hard  work  with  the  hands 
as  a  part  of  a  useful  education. 

Of  course,  this  cottage  routine  is  not  allowed  to 
interfere  with  the  class  work;  and  while  they  are 
testing  their  ability  to  manage  a  modest,  clean, 
attractive,  livable  home,  the  girls  are  pursuing  the 
studies  they  have  selected  to  fit  them  for  their 
several  lines  of  work  after  graduation.  In  addition 
to  the  training  in  the  Academic  Department,  these 
girls  are  learning  trades,  and,  what  is  more  impor¬ 
tant,  how  to  make  homes  for  themselves  or  for 
others.  In  this  cottage  the  Senior  girls  round  out 
their  course  by  the  practical  application  of  all  the 
theories  in  household  economy  that  they  have  learned 
during  the  earlier  years  of  their  training.  The 
course  in  “Domestic  Science”  is  perhaps  worth 
outlining  in  part  because  it  is  practical,  and  is  de¬ 
signed  to  make  the  home  an  uplifting  agency  by  its 
daily  operation  and  influence: 

First  year:  Making  and  care  of  fires;  care  and 
adjustment  of  lamps  used  for  cooking;  cleaning  and 
keeping  in  order  the  tables,  closets,  sinks,  and  pan- 
tries  ;  care  of  material  as  it  comes  from  market ;  wash¬ 
ing  kitchen  and  cooking  dishes,  and  care  of  baking- 
bowls,  dish-towels,  and  dish-cloths ;  cleaning  painted 
and  unpainted  woodwork ;  washing  windows,  sweep¬ 
ing  and  dusting ;  the  proper  use  and  care  of  utensils ; 
making  breads  without  yeast ;  making  biscuit,  corn- 
bread,  sweet  and  white  potato,  graham  and  oat- 


104 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


meal  bread;  muffins  of  each  of  the  flours,  and  com¬ 
binations  of  rice  or  grits  with  them ;  making  different 
kinds  of  toast  and  using  stale  breads ;  cooking  vege¬ 
tables  in  simple  ways.  The  simplest  forms  of  cooking 
meats;  making  plain,  brown  and  milk  gravies  and 
sweet  sauces ;  cooking  cereals  and  serving  in  various 
ways ;  also  cooking  fish  and  eggs. 

Second  year:  Care  of  silver,  glass,  china,  brass 
and  nickel;  care  of  table  linen;  laying  table  for 
different  meals,  waiting,  clearing  table  and  washing 
dishes;  cleaning  oiled  floors;  lessons  on  providing 
material  for  meals,  and  calculating  cost.  Pre¬ 
paring  given  menus,  and  estimating  time  required 
in  preparation;  making  yeast  bread,  brown  and 
white,  rolls,  muffins,  coffee,  spice  and  raisin  bread. 
Soup-making,  with  and  without  meat;  purees  from 
beans,  peas  and  other  vegetables,  with  or  without 
milk ;  stews,  hashes,  minces.  Cleaning  and  cooking 
chicken  in  various  ways;  bacon:  boiled,  fried. 
Making  tea,  chocolate,  coffee  and  cocoa. 

.  The  third  year  deals  with  the  theory  of  foods, 
their  source,  selection  and  composition  and  economic 
value,  and  the  practice  of  principles  involved  in 
different  methods  of  preparation. 

The  fourth  and  final  year  covers  the  study  of 
dietaries,  including  the  arrangment  of  bills  of  fare 
for  daily  living,  in  which  the  expense  is  limited  to 
fifty  cents  for  each  person,  and  dinners  of  three 
courses  for  six  persons. 


LESSONS  IN  HOME-MAKING 


IOS 


In  the  school  laundry  the  young  women  are 
taught  the  art  of  washing  and  ironing  according  to 
improved  methods.  Two  washers,  an  extractor,  a 
mangle,  starcher,  collar  and  cuff  ironer,  have  been 
added  to  lighten  the  drudgery.  Drying-rooms  and 
ironing  -  rooms  provided  with  excellent  facilities 
afford  means  for  thorough  teaching.  All  of  the 
washing  for  teachers  and  students,  including  bed 
and  table  linen,  is  done  in  this  department.  The 
course  covers  one  school  year. 

It  is  the  policy  of  the  Institute  to  give  special 
attention  to  the  training  of  girls  in  all  matters  per¬ 
taining  to  dress,  health,  etiquette,  physical  culture 
and  general  housekeeping.  The  girls  are  constantly 
under  the  strict  and  watchful  care  of  the  Dean  of 
the  Woman’s  Department  and  the  women  teachers. 
Special  rules  governing  the  conduct  of  the  girls  are 
made  known  to  each  girl  upon  her  arrival.  In 
addition  to  the  general  training,  they  receive  special 
practical  talks  from  various  members  of  the  Faculty 
on  such  matters  as  relate  to  the  care  of  the  body, 
social  purity,  etc. 

The  course  in  household  training  includes  such 
instruction  as : — The  location  and  sanitation  of  the 
home.  Furniture:  its  purchase,  arrangement,  and 
proper  care.  Surroundings  and  their  advantages. 
Cleaning:  lamps,  beds,  bedrooms,  and  general 

weekly  cleaning.  The  care  of  the  dining-room : 
serving  the  table  and  the  care  of  linen,  silver,  pantry, 


io6  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


dishes,  and  towels.  The  duties  and  manners  of 
the  hostess.  The  furnishing  and  care  of  the 
kitchen.  Marketing,  and  economy,  punctuality, 
and  regularity  in  preparation  of  food.  The  sick¬ 
room:  its  attractions  and  proper  ventilation. 

Changing  the  patient’s  clothing  and  bedding. 
Feeding  and  visiting  the  sick.  Yards  and  out¬ 
houses:  how  to  keep  clean  and  how  to  beautify. 
The  housekeeper’s  personal  appearance.  Dress: 
what  to  wear  and  the  colors  suitable. 

The  hospital  and  training-school  for  nurses  were 
organised  to  provide  for  the  physical  needs  of  the 
Tuskegee  colony,  and  to  equip  young  women  for 
efficient  service  among  their  people.  A  beautiful 
two-story  hospital  building,  with  all  modern  improve¬ 
ments,  has  been  finished,  with  enlarged  facilities  for 
the  care  of  patients.  The  facilities  for  the  training 
of  nurses  are  excellent  and  the  standard  of  admission 
high.  Graduates  from  the  hospital  are  doing  good 
work,  many  of  them  holding  excellent  positions  in 
the  hospitals,  schools  and  private  infirmaries 
throughout  the  South.  The  five  Tuskegee  nurses 
sent  to  the  front  in  the  Spanish-American  war  were 
the  only  coloured  female  nurses  employed  by  the 
Government.  The  course  of  study  covers  three 
years,  but  is  so  arranged  that  students  of  excep¬ 
tional  ability  are  able  to  complete  it  in  two. 


AN  OUT-OF-DOOR  CLASS  IN  LAUNDRY  WORK 
At  the  Mount  Meig’s  School 


CHAPTER  IX 


Outdoor  Work  for  Women 

Seven  years  ago  I  became  impressed  with  the 
idea  that  there  was  a  wider  range  of  industrial  work 
for  our  girls.  The  idea  grew  upon  me  that  it  was 
unwise  in  a  climate  like  ours  in  the  South  to  narrow 
the  work  of  our  girls,  and  confine  them  to  indoor 
occupations. 

If  one  makes  a  close  study  of  economic  conditions 
in  the  South,  he  will  soon  be  convinced  that  one  of 
the  weak  points  is  the  want  of  occupations  for 
women.  This  lack  of  opportunity  grows  largely 
out  of  traditional  prejudice  and  because  of  lack  of 
skill.  All  through  the  period  of  slavery,  the  idea 
prevailed  that  women,  not  slaves,  should  do  as  little 
work  as  possible  with  their  hands.  There  were 
notable  exceptions,  but  this  was  the  rule. 

Most  of  the  work  inside  the  homes  was  done 
by  the  coloured  women.  Such  a  thing  as  cook¬ 
ing,  sewing,  and  laundering,  as  part  of  a  white 
woman’s  education,  was  not  thought  of  in  the 
days  of  slavery.  Training  in  art,  music,  and 
general  literature  was  emphasised.  When  the 
coloured  girl  became  free,  she  naturally  craved  the 

107 


io8  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


same  education  in  which  she  had  seen  the  white 
woman  specialising.  I  have  already  described  our 
trials  at  the  Tuskegee  Institute,  in  attempting  to 
get  our  girls  to  feel  and  see  that  they  should  secure 
the  most  thorough  education  in  everything  relating 
to  the  care  of  a  home.  When  we  were  able  to  free 
them  of  the  idea  that  it  was  degrading  to  study  and 
practice  those  household  duties  which  are  con¬ 
nected  with  one’s  life  every  day  in  the  year,  I  felt 
convinced  that  one  other  step  was  necessary. 

New  England  and  most  of  the  Middle  States  are 
largely  engaged  in  manufacturing.  The  factories, 
therefore,  naturally  give  employment  to  a  large 
number  of  women.  The  South  is  not  yet  in  any 
large  degree  manufacturing  territory,  but  is  an  agri¬ 
cultural  section  and  will  probably  remain  such  for  a 
long  period.  This  fact  confirmed  my  belief  that  an 
industrial  school  should  not  only  give  training  in 
household  occupations  to  women,  but  should  go 
further  in  meeting  their  needs  and  in  providing 
education  for  them  in  out-of-door  industries. 

In  making  a  study  of  this  subject  it  became  evident 
that  the  climate  of  every  Southern  State  was  pecu¬ 
liarly  adapted  to  out-of-door  work  for  women.  A 
little  later  I  had  the  opportunity  of  going  to  Europe 
and  visiting  the  agricultural  college  for  women  at 
Swanley,  England.  There  I  found  about  forty 
women  from  some  of  the  best  families  of  Great 
Britain,  Many  of  these  women  were  graduates  of 


OUTDOOR  WORK  FOR  WOMEN  109 


high  schools  and  colleges.  In  the  morning  I  saw 
them  in  the  laboratory  and  class  room  studying 
botany  and  chemistry  and  mathematics  as  applied 
to  agriculture  and  horticulture.  In  the  afternoon 
these  same  women  were  clad  in  suitable  garments 
and  at  work  in  the  field  with  the  hoe  or  rake,  planting 
vegetable  seeds,  pruning  fruit  trees  or  learning  to 
raise  poultry  and  bees  and  how  to  care  for  the  dairy. 
After  I  had  seen  this  work  and  had  made  a  close 
study  of  it,  I  saw  all  the  more  clearly  what  should 
be  done  for  the  coloured  girls  of  the  South  where 
there  was  so  large  an  unemployed  proportion  of  the 
population.  I  reasoned  that  if  this  kind  of  hand¬ 
training  is  necessary  for  a  people  who  have  back  of 
them  the  centuries  of  English  wealth  and  culture, 
it  is  tenfold  more  needful  for  a  people  who  are  in 
the  condition  of  my  race  at  the  South. 

I  came  home  determined  to  begin  the  training  of 
a  portion  of  our  women  at  Tuskegee  in  the  outdoor 
industries.  Mrs.  Washington,  who  had  made  a  care¬ 
ful  study  of  the  work  in  England,  took  charge  of  the 
outdoor  work  at  Tuskegee.  At  first  the  girls  were 
very  timid.  They  felt  ashamed  to  have  any  one  see 
them  at  work  in  the  garden  or  orchard.  The  young 
men  and  some  of  the  women  were  inclined  to  ridicule 
those  who  were  bold  enough  to  lead  off.  Not  a  few 
became  discouraged  and  stopped.  There  is  nothing 
harder  to  overcome  than  an  unreasonable  prejudice 
against  an  occupation  or  a  race.  The  more  unrea- 


iio 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


sonable  it  is,  the  harder  it  is  to  conquer.  Mrs.  Wash¬ 
ington  made  a  careful  study  of  the  girls  and  discov¬ 
ered  the  social  leaders  of  a  certain  group.  With  this 
knowledge  in  hand  she  called  the  leaders  together 
and  had  several  conferences  with  them  and  explained 
in  detail  just  what  was  desired  and  what  the  plans 
were.  These  leaders  decided  that  they  would  be  the 
pioneers  in  the  outdoor  work. 

Beginning  in  a  very  modest  way  with  a  few  girls, 
the  outdoor  work  has  grown  from  year  to  year, 
until  it  is  now  a  recognised  part  of  the  work  of  the 
school,  and  the  idea  that  this  kind  of  labour  is 
degrading  has  almost  disappeared.  In  order  to 
give,  if  possible,  a  more  practical  idea  of  just 
what  is  taught  the  girls,  I  give  the  entire 
course  of  study.  In  reading  this  it  should 
be  borne  in  mind  that  the  theory  is  not  only 
given,  but  in  each  case  the  girls  have  the  training 
in  actual  work.  Since  the  school  year  opens  in 
the  fall,  the  work  naturally  begins  with  the  indus¬ 
tries  relating  to  the  fall  and  winter.  The  course 
of  study  is: 

First  Year. — Fall  Term. — Dairying. — The  home 
dairy  is  first  taken  up,  and  a  detailed  knowledge 
of  the  following  facts  taught :  Kinds,  use  and  care 
of  utensils,  gravity,  creaming.  A  study  of  stone, 
wooden,  and  tin  churns,  ripening  of  cream,  churning, 
working  and  salting  butter,  preparation  and  mar¬ 
keting  of  same.  Feeding  and  care  of  dairy  cows. 


OUTDOOR  WORK  FOR  WOMEN 


hi 


Poultry  Raising. — A  working  knowledge  is  re¬ 
quired  of  the  economic  value  of  poultry  on  the 
farm,  pure  and  mixed  breeds,  plain  poultry- 
house  construction,  making  of  yards,  nests,  and 
runs. 

Horticulture. — Instruction  is  given  as  to  the 
importance  of  an  orchard  and  small  fruits,  varieties 
best  suited,  particular  locality,  selection  and  prep¬ 
aration  of  ground,  setting,  trimming,  extermination 
of  borers,  lice,  etc.,  special  stress  being  laid  upon 
the  quality  and  quantity  of  peaches,  pears,  apples, 
plums,  figs,  grapes,  and  strawberries  that  should  be 
planted  in  a  home  orchard. 

Floriculture  and  Landscape  Gardening. — A  study 
of  our  door-yards,  how  to  utilise  and  beautify 
them.  The  kinds,  care,  and  use  of  tools  used  in 
floriculture  and  landscape  gardening.  Trimming 
and  shaping  of  beds  and  borders,  and  the  general 
care  of  shrubbery  and  flowers.  The  gathering 
and  saving  of  seed.  Special  treatment  of  rose 
bushes  and  shrubbery. 

Market  Gardening. — Importance  of  proper  man¬ 
agement  of  the  home  garden,  its  value  to  the  home, 
selection  and  preparation  of  ground ;  kinds,  care  and 
use  of  tools,  planting,  gardening  and  marketing 
of  all  vegetables.  Gathering  of  seeds,  drying  of 
pumpkins,  okra,  and  fruits. 

Live  Stock. — Study  is  limited  wholly  to  ordinary 
farm  animals;  the  number  and  kind  needed,  how, 


1 1  2 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


when  and  what  to  feed;  characteristics  and  utility 
of  the  various  animals. 

Winter  Term. — Dairying. — The  commercial  dairy 
is  the  subject  of  study,  and  emphasis  is  laid  upon  the 
following:  Use  of  separators,  of  which  the  school  has 
two  leading  styles;  churns,  feeding,  and  care  of  the 
dairy  herd,  breeds  of  dairy  cattle  and  their  selection, 
butter-making,  packing,  salting  and  preparation  for 
market. 

Poultry  Raising— Special  study  of  breeding  and 
feeding.  When,  how  and  what  kind  of  eggs  and  the 
breed  of  fowls  to  set ;  the  period  of  incubation,  poul¬ 
try  book-keeping,  saving  of  eggs  for  market;  an 
introductory  of  study  of  young  chickens. 

Floriculture  and  Landscape  Gardening.— Trim¬ 
ming  of  beds  and  borders,  mulching,  tying,  wrapping, 
and  preparation  of  plants  for  the  winter. 

Winter  decoration  of  grounds,  the  decorative  value 
of  native  shrubbery ;  a  study  of  window  plants,  their 
value  in  the  home,  halls  and  public  buildings,  their 
economic  value,  etc. 

Market  Gardening.— The  selection  of  grounds  and 
making  of  hotbeds,  cold  frames,  etc.,  planting  and 
managing  of  same,  the  raising  of  winter  vegetables, 
marketing. 

Spring  Term. — Dairying. — Milking;  a  study  of 
pastures,  how  to  destroy  lice  and  other  parasites,  the 
care  of  calves,  the  utilisation  of  waste  in  the  dairy; 
laboratory  work. 


OUTDOOR  WORK  FOR  WOMEN 


113 

Poultry  Raising. — A  more  advanced  study  of 
young  poultry;  brooders,  sanitation  of  the  house, 
runs,  and  of  all  the  apparatus;  egg-testing,  moult¬ 
ing  and  its  effects  upon  different  breeds. 

Horticulture. — Spring  planting,  trimming,  bud¬ 
ding,  grafting,  spraying,  care  of  grape  vines;  the 
wire  and  post  system  of  supports;  spring  layering 
and  cuttings. 

Floriculture  and  Landscape  Gardening. — Renew¬ 
ing  of  beds  and  borders,  seed  sowing,  special  study 
of  propagation  by  layers,  cuttings,  division  of  roots, 
bulbs,  etc. ;  kinds  and  uses  of  fertilisers  for  this 
special  season. 

Market  Gardening. — Preparation  of  ground,  what 
and  how  to  plant,  special  stress  being  laid  upon  the 
production  of  early  vegetables  for  the  home  and 
market.  Reproduction  of  plants  by  seeds  and  by 
division  of  numbers;  water  and  its  office  in  plant 
economy. 

Live  Stock. — Course  includes  the  history,  develop¬ 
ment,  characteristics,  standard  points,  utility,  adapt¬ 
ability  to  climatic  conditions;  lessons  on  judging, 
care,  selection  and  management  of  the  leading  breeds 
of  horses,  sheep  and  hogs. 

Second  Year. — Fall  Term. — Dairying. — A  more 
comprehensive  study  of  milk  and  its  constituents; 
weeds  and  their  harmful  effect  upon  dairy  products ; 
general  sanitation  of  dairy  barns;  the  drawing  of 
plans,  etc. 


1 14  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

Poultry  Raising. — Insecticides,  how  to  make, 
when  and  how  much  to  use,  diseases  of  fowls  and 
their  treatment.  A  study  of  foods  and  their  adapta¬ 
bility  to  different  breeds,  special  study  of  turkeys 
and  guineas. 

Horticulture.— Root  and  stem  grafting  with  active 
and  dormant  buds;  formation  of  trunk  and  top 
starch,  and  its  relation  to  the  hardiness  of  fruits  and 
shrubs,  botany  of  the  orchard,  entomology;  book¬ 
keeping. 

Floriculture  and  Landscape  Gardening.— System¬ 
atic  botany,  bouquet-making— harmony  of  colour, 
form  and  size  of  flowers ;  laying  out  of  private  and 
public  grounds,  roads,  parks,  walks,  and  streets ; 
entomology  of  the  flower  garden. 

Market  Gardening. — Botany  of  the  field  and  gar¬ 
den  ;  physical  analysis  of  soils  and  the  improvement 
of  clay  and  sandy  soils ;  the  depletion  of  plant  food 
and  its  replacement  by  direct  and  indirect  fertilisers ; 
the  source  of  carbon,  nitrogen  and  oxygen.  Drain¬ 
ing. 

Live  Stock— How  to  hitch  and  unhitch  horses, 
the  care  of  vehicles  and  harness,  how  to  drive,  the 
names  of  common  diseases  and  treatment  of  sick 
animals;  swine  for  profit. 

'Winter  Term.  —  Dairying.  —  The  weighing  and 
recording  of  milk  in  a  commercial  dairy;  the  Bab¬ 
cock  and  other  methods  of  testing  milk ;  composition 
of  cheese  and  its  value  as  a  food. 


OUTDOOR  WORK  FOR  WOMEN  115 


Poultry  Raising. — Composition  of  the  animal 
body ;  a  special  study  of  ducks  and  geese ;  brooders, 
ponds,  runs,  etc.,  by-products  and  their  value. 

Horticulture. — Forestry,  botany,  cryptogamic  and 
systematic ;  nut  culture ;  preservation  of  timber,  the 
economic  value  of  different  woods;  the  relation  of 
forests  to  climate,  water  supply,  floods  and  erosion. 

Market  Gardening.— A  study  of  the  life-history  of 
insects,  injuries  to  stored  grain,  peas,  beans,  meal, 
flour,  dried  fruits;  botany  of  the  greenhouse,  cold 
frame  and  hotbeds;  the  use  of  thermometers.  A 
study  of  markets,  library  work. 

Spring  Term. — Dairying. — Cottage  and  Chedder 
cheese-making,  scoring  of  butter,  bacteriology  of 
milk,  butter,  and  cheese.  Judging  of  dairy  animals 
by  the  score-card  method,  diseases  of  cows  and  their 
treatment;  analysis  of  food  stuffs. 

Poultry  Raising. — Physical  and  chemical  study 
of  foods,  library  work,  fancy  breeds,  what  and  how 
to  exhibit,  the  history  and  development  of  the 
industry.  Heredity  and  the  effects  of  in-breeding. 

Horticulture. — Origin  of  new  varieties  by  cross¬ 
fertilisation,  hybrids,  sports,  atavisms  and  reversion, 
correlation  between  plants  and  animals,  rejuvenat¬ 
ing  by  pruning,  grafting  and  scraping  the  bark, 
special  diseases  of  both  trees  and  fruit,  and  their 
treatment.  Knot-growth,  blight,  gum  excrescences 
and  frost  injuries;  drying,  preserving,  making  fruit 
syrups,  etc. 


1 16  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


Horticulture  and  Landscape  Gardening. — Special 
designing  in  cultivated  flowers.  Origin  of  new 
species;  bees  and  their  relation  to  the  forest  and 
garden;  the  hiving  of  bees  and  after-management. 
A  study  of  honey-producing  plants;  the  economic 
value  of  the  honey. 

Market  Gardening. — Relation  of  crops,  geology  of 
the  garden,  agricultural  chemistry,  good  roads  and 
their  relation  to  the  success  and  value  of  the  farm, 
mineralogy  and  useful  birds  and  insects. 

I  believe  that  all  who  will  make  a  careful  study  of 
the  subject  will  agree  with  me  that  there  is  a  vast 
unexplored  field  for  women  in  the  open  air.  The 
South,  with  its  mild  climate  and  other  advantages, 
is  as  well  adapted  to  out-door  labour  for  women  as 
to  that  for  men.  There  is  not  only  an  advantage 
in  material  welfare,  but  there  is  the  advantage  of  a 
superior  mental  and  moral  growth.  The  average 
woman  who  works  in  a  factory  becomes  little  more 
than  a  machine.  Her  planning  and  thinking  is  done 
for  her.  Not  so  with  the  woman  who  depends  upon 
raising  poultry,  for  instance,  for  a  living.  She  must 
plan  this  year  for  next,  this  month  for  the  next. 
Naturally  there  is  a  growth  of  self-reliance,  inde¬ 
pendence,  and  initiative. 

Life  out  in  the  sweet,  pure,  bracing  air  is  better 
from  both  a  physical  and  a  moral  point  of  view  than 
long  days  spent  in  the  close  atmosphere  of  a  factory 
or  store.  There  is  almost  no  financial  risk  to  be 


OUTDOOR  WORK  FOR  WOMEN  117 


encountered,  in  the  South,  in  following  the  occu¬ 
pations  which  I  have  enumerated.  The  immediate 
demands  for  the  products  of  garden,  dairy,  poultry 
yard,  apiary,  orchard,  etc.,  are  pressing  and  ever 
present.  The  satisfaction  and  sense  of  independence 
that  will  come  to  a  woman  who  is  brave  enough  to 
follow  any  of  these  outdoor  occupations  infinitely 
surpass  the  results  of  such  uncertain  labor  as  that 
of  peddling  books  or  cheap  jewelry,  or  similar  employ¬ 
ments,  and  I  believe  that  a  larger  number  of  our 
schools  in  the  near  future  will  see  the  importance  of 
outdoor  handwork  for  women. 

There  is  considerable  significance  in  the  fact  that 
this  year  more  than  fifty  girls  have  taken  up  the 
study  of  scientific  farming  at  the  Minnesota  College 
of  Agriculture,  and  have  thus  announced  their 
intention  to  adhere  to  country  life.  The  college 
has  been  in  existence  for  the  past  decade,  but  girls 
have  only  recently  been  admitted.  The  character 
of  the  instruction  available  to  the  girl  students  is 
suggestive.  The  course  presented  emphasises  the 
sciences  of  botany,  chemistry,  physics  and  geology, 
requiring,  during  the  freshman  and  sophomore  years 
at  least,  two  terms’  work  in  each  of  them.  Boys 
and  girls  work  together  throughout  two-thirds  of 
the  entire  course,  which  includes  study  in  language, 
mathematics,  science,  civics,  and  considerable  tech' 
nical  work.  In  the  courses  for  girls,  cooking, 
laundering  and  sewing  are  substituted  for  carpentry, 


1 18  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


blacksmithing  and  veterinary  science.  The  girls, 
too,  give  more  attention  to  household  art,  home 
economy  and  domestic  hygiene  than  to  the  business 
aspect  of  farming.  It  is  happily  the  chief  purpose 
of  the  college  to  awaken  in  its  entire  student  body 
a  keen  interest  in  farming,  farm  life,  the  farm-house 
and  farm  society.  Both  boys  and  girls  are  taught 
to  plan  farm  buildings  and  to  lay  out  the  grounds 
artistically.  Considerable  attention  is  given  to  the 
furnishing  of  houses,  to  literature,  music  and  social 
culture,  with  the  general  thought  of  making  the  farm 
home  the  most  attractive  spot  on  earth.  The  result 
of  the  new  movement  is  being  watched  with  keen 
interest  by  agriculturists  and  educators.  It  is 
evident  that,  should  it  prove  successful,  the  innova¬ 
tion  will  spread  to  other  agricultural  States.  Its 
influence,  one  readily  apprehends,  is  apt  to  be 
social  as  well  as  agricultural  in  character.  Hereto¬ 
fore,  one  great  drawback  to  farming,  even  in  the 
North,  has  been  the  difficulty  of  keeping  the  farmers’ 
sons  on  the  farm.  With  trained  and  educated  girls 
enthusiastically  taking  up  the  profession  of  farming, 
the  country  life  will  take  on  new  charms,  and  the 
exodus  of  young  men  to  cities  will  be  materially 
lessened. 


CHAPTER  X 


Helping  the  Mothers 

Something  about  the  Woman’s  Meeting,  organised 
and  conducted  in  the  town  of  Tuskegee  by  Mrs. 
Washington,  seems  not  out  of  place  in  this  book. 
It  is  her  work,  and  she  has  kindly  supplied  the 
following  outline  of  the  aims  and  results  of  this 
attempt  to  better  the  conditions  and  lives 
of  the  people  living  in  this  typical  Alabama 
community : 

In  the  spring  of  ’92,  the  first  Negro  Conference 
for  farmers  was  held  at  Tuskegee.  The  purpose 
of  this  conference  was  to  inspire  the  masses  of 
coloured  people  to  secure  homes  of  their  own,  to 
help  them  to  better  ways  of  living,  to  insist  upon 
better  educational  advantages  for  them,  and  so 
to  raise  their  standards  of  living,  morally,  physically, 
intellectually  and  financially.  Sitting  in  that  first 
meeting  of  Negro  farmers  and  hearing  the  resolu¬ 
tions  which  stood  as  the  platform  of  the  conference, 
I  felt  that  history  was  repeating  itself.  In  the  days 
of  Lucretia  Mott,  and  the  early  struggles  of  Susan 
B.  Anthony,  women  had  no  rights  that  were  worth 
mentioning,  and,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that 

119 


120 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


there  were  many  women  present  at  this  first  confer¬ 
ence,  they  had  little  actual  place  in  it. 

Perhaps  they  did  not  realise  that  they,  too,  had 
a  most  prominent  part  to  play  in  the  life  which  their 
lovers,  or  their  sons  and  husbands,  were  urged  to 
seek.  Perhaps  they  did  not  dream  that  they  would 
some  day  have  a  vital  part  in  the  uplifting  of  our 
people.  This  thought  would  not  be  stilled:  What 
can  these  poor  farmers  do  with  the  new  ideas,  new 
hopes,  new  aspirations,  unless  the  women  can  be 
equally  inspired  and  interested  in  conferences  of 
their  own? 

Not  many  days  passed  before  there  was  a  fixed 
purpose  in  my  mind  that  these  women  in  the  homes 
represented  by  the  farmers  should  be  reached. 
How  to  reach  and  help  them  was  the  question. 
After  many  weary  days  and  sleepless  nights,  praying 
for  some  way  to  open,  the  thought  came  that  the 
village  of  Tuskegee  was  a  good  place  to  begin  work. 
The  country  women,  tired  of  the  monotony  of 
their  lives,  came  crowding  into  the  village  every 
Saturday.  There  should  be  a  place  for  them  to  go 
to  be  instructed  for  an  hour  or  more  each  Saturday. 
Like  a  flash  the  idea  was  caught  up,  and  it  was  not 
let  go  until  such  a  place  was  secured. 

Our  first  conference  was  held  in  the  upper  story 
of  a  very  dilapidated  store  which  stands  on  the  main 
street  of  the  village.  The  stairs  were  so  rickety 
that  we  were  often  afraid  to  ascend  them.  The 


HELPING  THE  MOTHERS 


I  2  I 


room  was  used  by  the  coloured  firemen  of  the  village, 
and  was  a  dark  and  dreary  place,  uninviting  even 
to  me.  It  answered  our  purpose  for  the  time.  We 
had  no  rent  to  pay,  and  that  was  one  less  burden 
for  us.  How  to  get  the  women  to  the  first  meeting 
was  not  easily  settled.  For  fear  of  opposition  from 
friends,  no  mention  had  been  made  of  the  plan, 
except  to  the  man  who  let  me  have  the  room. 

That  first  Saturday  I  walked  up  the  stairs  alone, 
and  sat  down  in  the  room  with  all  its  utter  dreari¬ 
ness.  My  heart  almost  failed  me,  and  not  until  I 
remembered  these  words:  “No  man,  having  put 
his  hand  to  the  plow  and  looking  back,  is  fit  for  the 
Kingdom  of  God,”  did  I  throw  off  the  despondency. 
At  this  moment  a  small  boy  entered  the  room.  I 
said  to  him,  “Go  through  the  streets  and  say  to 
each  woman,  so  that  no  one  else  will  hear  you, 
there  is  a  woman  up  those  stairs  who  has  something 
for  you.” 

That  first  meeting  I  can  never  forget.  There 
were  six  women  who  came,  and  each  one  as  she 
looked  at  me  seemed  to  say :  ‘  ‘  Where  is  it  ?  ” 
We  talked  it  all  over,  the  needs  of  our  women,  the 
best  ways  of  helping  each  other,  and  there  was 
begun  the  first  woman’s  weekly  conference,  which 
now  numbers  nearly  three  hundred  women. 

We  now  have  a  large,  roomy  hall  on  the  main 
street,  where  we  come  together  each  Saturday,  and 
spend  two  hours  talking  of  the  things  which  go  to 


122 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


make  better  and  truer  lives  among  women  and 
children.  Women  come  long  distances  on  foot  to 
these  meetings.  They  soon  brought  with  them 
their  little  girls,  whom  they  could  not  afford  to  leave 
at  home,  and  there  arose  a  new  question — what 
to  do  with  the  children  ?  A  plan  was  hit  upon,  and 
a  room  hired.  These  girls,  now  more  than  fifty  in 
number,  are  taught  simple  lessons,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  receive  short  practical  talks  on  behaviour  at 
home,  on  the  streets  and  elsewhere.  We  also  have 
a  small  library  for  them,  and  each  one  is  allowed  to 
draw  the  books  she  wants,  to  keep  two  weeks  or 
longer.  We  also  have  picture  books  on  the  table 
for  the  younger  children.  We  are  now  trying  to 
get  games  for  these  children  and  pictures  for  the 
walls  of  the  room.  A  friend  gives  two  hours  of  her 
time  on  Saturday  to  these  children,  and  it  delights 
one’s  heart  to  see  the  improvement  in  them  in  all 
directions,  especially  in  their  quiet  and  becoming 
conduct  on  the  streets. 

The  marked  improvement  among  the  women  in 
the  matter  of  dress  has  been  frequently  commented 
upon  in  the  village.  They  are  doing  away  with 
the  wrapping  of  the  hair,  and  substituting  for  it 
braiding  or  some  other  simple  arrangement.  The 
women  no  longer  go  barefooted,  nor  do  they  sit 
around  the  streetb  'n  a  listless  way.  There  is  less 
familiarity  among  th&  men  and  women  in  the 
streets,  and  in  many  ways  the  women  are  being  led 


HELPING  THE  MOTHERS 


123 


into  better  ways  of  conduct,  to  say  nothing  of  home 
improvements  and  the  closer  union  of  family  life. 

We  visit  the  homes  of  the  women  and  see  that 
the  lessons  are  put  into  practice.  We  have  given 
out  thousands  of  papers  and  picture  cards,  that 
the  cracks  might  be  closed  against  the  wind  and  rain, 
and  that  the  children  of  the  home  might  have 
something  besides  the  dark  and  cheerless  logs  to 
look  at. 

Soon  the  women  began  to  see  the  importance  of 
these  conferences,  and  to  do  all  in  their  power  to 
promote  their  interests.  Our  talks  were  discussed 
on  the  farms  and  in  neighbourhood  chat.  Their 
influence  spread  in  indirect  channels.  These  talks 
were  planned  along  such  simple  and  practical  lines 
as  the  following  subjects  suggest: 

Morals  among  young  girls. 

The  kinds  of  amusements  for  young  girls. 

A  mother’s  example. 

A  mother’s  duty  to  her  home. 

Dresses  for  women  and  children. 

Poultry  raising  for  women. 

The  part  a  woman  should  take  in  securing  a 
home. 

Fruit  canning,  etc. 

Many  other  subjects  were  suggested  by  the 
women  themselves,  and  afterward  put  in  written 
form  so  that  they  could  read  them  intelligently. 
Many  of  the  talks  were  grouped  in  a  little  book  for 


124 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


women  who  could  not  reach  the  conferences.  These 
books  contain  also  little  recipes  which  any  woman 
may  need  in  her  country  home,  especially  when 
there  is  sickness  in  the  family.  Work  for  the 
masses  is  always  more  difficult  than  for  the  indi¬ 
vidual,  but  it  is  work  which  must  be  done.  Eighty 
per  cent,  of  our  women  have  their  homes  in  the 
country  or  on  the  plantations,  they  live  in  the  old- 
time  log  cabins,  but  they  have  hearts,  they  have 
aspirations  for  the  future.  In  pursuance  of  the 
ideas  which  prompted  this  humble  crusade,  I  have 
sent  out  leaflets  which  embody,  among  others, 
these  suggestions  for  teachers  and  other  workers, 
which  I  have  found  exceedingly  helpful  in  organising 
home-union  meetings  for  mothers: 

Decide  upon  a  definite  time  for  holding  a  meeting, 
and  then  send  notice  to  the  mothers  by  the  school 
children. 

Once  every  three  or  six  months  have  a  general 
meeting  with  simple  refreshments  such  as  can  be 
gotten  in  a  country  village. 

Now  and  then  an  experience  meeting  can  be  held 
to  the  advantage  of  all.  Encourage  the  women  to 
talk  freely  of  their  own  plans. 

Find  out  by  judicious  visiting  whether  any 
advancement  is  made. 

Do  not  expect  too  much  in  a  short  time, 
and,  above  all,  do  not  be  dictatorial  while 
visiting,  or  personal  in  meetings  when  you  wish 


HELPING  THE  MOTHERS 


125 


to  deal  with  mistakes  that  you  have  seen  in  the 
homes  visited. 

Some  Subjects  for  Talks 

How  to  keep  home  neat  and  tidy. 

How  to  make  home  attractive  for  husband  and 
children. 

Amusements,  music  and  reading  in  the  home 
circle. 

Is  it  necessary  to  teach  the  girls  to  do  good 
by  teaching  them  how  to  do  housework,  cooking 
and  sewing? 

The  relations  of  mothers  to  their  children. 

How  to  gain  the  confidence  of  children. 

How  to  correct  falsehood  and  theft  among  boys 
and  girls. 

Is  there  not  a  share  in  the  home  for  the  boys  ? 

How  to  teach  boys  and  men  to  respect  women 
generally  by  teaching  them  to  respect  mothers  and 
sisters. 

The  mother’s  authority  in  selecting  company  for 
her  sons  and  daughters. 

When  should  a  girl  be  allowed  to  receive  company  ? 
How  can  a  mother  help  her  to  avoid  mistakes  as 
regards  the  young  man  she  loves  ? 

What  part  should  a  woman  take  with  her  husband 
in  securing  a  home  or  a  piece  of  land  on  which  to 
build  one? 

What  is  the  effect  upon  the  face  when  the  hair  is 


126  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


wrapped  with  coloured  strings?  Why  not  plat  it 
or  arrange  it  in  some  other  becoming  way  ? 

Should  women  go  barefooted? 

Love  of  gaudy  dress  for  children.  What  will  the 
result  be  when  they  are  older  and  cannot  afford  to 
buy  the  same  sort? 

Manners  on  the  street. 

Necessity  of  varying  diet  for  the  household. 

Economy  in  the  house  as  regards  food. 

The  proper  duty  of  mothers  in  having  the  family 
table  set  with  care  at  the  proper  time. 

The  importance  of  ventilation,  proper  food,  and 
cleanliness  of  body  on  the  moral  atmosphere  of  the 
home. 

What  lessons  can  be  drawn  from  Thanksgiving 
Day,  New  Year’s  and  Christmas? 

The  mother’s  relation  to  the  church  and  the 
minister. 

How  the  family  should  go  to  church.  Isn’t  it 
better  if  all  go  together  and  sit  together,  too  ? 

How  can  boys  and  girls  be  taught  the  habit  of 
giving  to  the  church  and  charitable  purposes  ? 

How  may  mothers  and  their  daughters  best  resist 
men  who  attempt  to  rob  them  of  their  honour  and 
virtue  ? 

The  best  way  to  inspire  children  to  purity  of 
thought,  speech,  and  action,  at  home  and  abroad  ? 

In  a  leaflet  of  practical  help,  for  these  mothers’ 
meetings,  some  of  the  simple  teachings  are  put  in 


HELPING  THE  MOTHERS 


127 


detail  form,  and  these  may  give  an  idea  of  what  we 
are  trying  to  do  in  these  directions,  and  what  are  the 
common  needs  of  the  people  among  whom  we  are 
working.  Under  the  head  of  “Your  Needs”  are  the 
following  items: 

You  need  chairs  in  your  houses.  Get  boxes. 
Cover  them  with  bright  calico,  and  use  them  for 
seats  until  you  can  buy  chairs.  You  need  plates, 
knives  and  forks,  spoons  and  table-cloths.  Buy 
them  with  tobacco  and  snuff  money. 

You  need  more  respect  for  self.  Get  it  by  stay¬ 
ing  away  from  street  corners,  depots,  and,  above  all, 
excursions.  You  need  to  stay  away  from  these 
excursions  to  keep  out  of  bad  company,  out  of  court, 
out  of  jail,  and  out  of  the  disgust  of  every  self- 
respecting  person. 

You  need  more  race  pride.  Cultivate  this  as  you 
would  your  crops.  It  means  a  step  forward.  You 
need  a  good  home.  Save  all  you  can.  Get  your 
own  home,  and  that  will  bring  you  nearer  citizen¬ 
ship.  You  can  supply  all  these  needs.  When  will 
you  begin  ?  Every  moment  of  delay  is  loss. 

How  to  Become  Prosperous 

Keep  no  more  than  one  dog.  Stay  away  from 
court.  Buy  no  snuff,  whisky  and  tobacco.  Raise 
your  own  pork.  Raise  your  own  vegetables.  Put 
away  thirty  cents  for  every  dollar  you  spend. 

Get  a  good  supply  of  poultry.  Set  your  hens. 


128  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


Keep  your  chickens  until  they  will  bring  a  good 
price. 

Go  to  town  on  Thursday  instead  of  Saturday. 
Buy  no  more  than  you  need. 

Stay  in  town  no  longer  than  necessary. 

My  Daily  Work 

I  may  take  in  washing,  but  every  day  I  promise 
myself  that  I  will  do  certain  work  for  my  family.  I 
will  set  the  table  for  every  meal.  I  will  wash  the 
dishes  after  every  meal. 

Monday  I  will  do  my  family  washing.  I  will  put 
my  bedclothes  out  to  air.  I  will  clean  the  food 
closet  with  hot  water  and  soap. 

Tuesday  I  will  do  my  ironing  and  family  patching. 

Wednesday  I  will  scrub  my  kitchen,  and  clean 
my  yard  thoroughly. 

Thursday  I  will  clean  and  air  the  meal  and  pork 
boxes.  I  will  scour  my  pots  and  pans  with  soap  and 
ashes. 

Friday  I  will  wash  my  dish-cloth,  dish -towels,  and 
hand-towels.  I  will  sweep  and  dust  my  whole  house, 
and  clean  everything  thoroughly. 

Saturday  I  will  bake  bread,  cake,  and  do  other 
extra  cooking  for  Sunday.  I  will  spend  one  hour 
in  talking  with  my  children,  that  I  may  know  them 
better. 

Sunday  I  will  go  to  church  and  Sunday  School. 
I  will  take  my  children  with  me.  I  will  stay  at 


HELPING  THE  MOTHERS 


129 


home  during  the  remainder  of  the  day.  I  will  try 
to  read  aloud  a  something  helpful  to  all. 

Questions  I  Will  Pledge  Myself  to  Answer 
at  the  End  of  the  Year 

How  many  bushels  of  potatoes,  corn,  beans,  and 
peanuts  have  we  raised  this  year? 

How  many  hogs  and  cows  do  we  keep?  How 
much  poultry  have  we  raised  ?  How  many  bales  of 
cotton  have  we  raised?  How  much  have  we  saved 
to  buy  a  home? 

How  much  have  we  done  toward  planting  flowers 
and  making  our  yard  look  pretty  ?  How  many  kinds 
of  vegetables  did  we  raise  in  our  home  garden? 

How  many  times  did  we  stay  away  from  miscel¬ 
laneous  excursions  when  we  wished  to  go?  What 
were  our  reasons  for  staying  at  home?  Have  we 
helped  our  boys  and  girls  to  stay  out  of  bad  com¬ 
pany?  What  paper  have  we  taken,  and  have  we 
taken  our  children  to  church  and  had  them  sit 
with  us? 

The  experiment  of  real  settlement  work  on  a  plan¬ 
tation  near  Tuskegee  was  begun  in  1896  in  a  dilapi¬ 
dated,  unused  one-room  cabin  in  the  quarters  of  the 
“big  house,”  where  resided  the  last  scion  of  a  family 
of  slave-holders. 

Seventy-five  families  lived  scattered  in  cabins  over 
the  two-thousand-acre  plantation  in  easy  access  to 


1 3o  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

their  plots  of  land  farmed  on  shares.  Many  of  the 
men  were  paying  for  “time”  bought  by  the  owner 
of  the  plantation.  Some  had  been  arrested,  and  on 
trial  found  guilty.  They  had  to  pay  either  a  certain 
sum  or  suffer  imprisonment.  The  owner  of  the 
plantation  paid  the  fines,  and  the  men  paid  him  for 
their  time  in  labour.  Schools  were  miles  distant,  and 
the  only  opportunity  to  teach  the  better  way  of  life 
seemed  to  be  establishing  a  settlement.  The  planter 
graciously  granted  the  free  use  of  the  cabin  aforesaid. 
Students  from  the  Institute  nailed  the  shingles  on  the 
open  roof.  The  room  was  given  a  thorough  cleaning, 
and  in  a  short  time  a  young  woman  graduate,  now 
wife  of  the  Principal  of  Christianburg  Institute, 
Cambria,  Virginia,  and  an  undergraduate  moved  in 
with  her  home-made  furniture— fashioned  from  dry- 
goods  boxes,  and  covered  with  pretty  chintz  sent 
by  an  old  friend  who  has  now  passed  to  her  reward. 

As  a  Sunday  School  had  begun  in  one  of  the  log 
houses  several  Sundays  previous  to  the  opening  of 
the  settlement,  the  young  teacher’s  coming  had  been 
explained,  and  all  had  promised  to  contribute  all 
they  could  to  her  support. 

The  first  articles  of  food  entered  on  the  teacher’s 
book  to  the  credit  of  her  patrons  were  two  eggs,  one 
can  of  syrup,  one  half-pound  bacon,  one  quart  meal, 
one  can  buttermilk.  The  teacher  cooked  her  meals 
on  her  oven  in  the  fireplace,  did  her  work,  and  taught 
school  in  her  cabin.  The  first  day  brought  fifteen 


HOME-MADE  FURNITURE 


HELPING  THE  MOTHERS 


I3I 

boys  and  girls.  Ten  of  the  fathers  and  mothers, 
eager  to  learn  how  to  read  and  write,  came  to  the 
night  school.  For  two  years  the  teacher  struggled. 
Her  patrons  helped  her  with  larder,  and  grew — 
measuring  up  to  the  standards  of  true  living. 

In  spite  of  frequent  patchings,  the  teacher’s  cabin 
became  almost  unfit  for  use.  There  came  a  time 
when  umbrellas  were  indispensable  in  the  cabin  dur¬ 
ing  a  heavy  downpour.  In  1898  a  way  opened  for 
the  purchase  of  ten  acres  of  woodland.  A  two-room 
cottage  was  built  for  the  teacher  on  a  clearing.  No 
prouder  workers  could  be  found  than  the  teacher 
and  her  pupils  in  clearing  the  land  for  possible  crops. 
Beginning  with  1900,  the  average  annual  yield  was 
as  follows:  Two  bales  of  cotton,  forty  bushels  of 
corn,  seventy-five  bushels  sweet  potatoes,  twenty 
bushels  peanuts,  twenty  bushels  pease,  four  loads 
shucks  and  fodder,  greens,  cabbage,  and  other  vege¬ 
table  products. 

Two  years  ago  a  kitchen  was  added  to  the  cottage, 
and  the  cooking  classes  of  the  school  arose  to  the 
dignity  of  having  a  real  stove  and  other  necessaries. 
Sewing,  cooking,  gardening,  and  housekeeping  classes 
have  succeeded  wonderfully.  The  boys  of  the  set¬ 
tlement  have  received  first  prizes  from  Tuskegee 
Institute  Agricultural  Fair  for  their  products  put  on 
exhibition. 

One  of  the  first  fruits  of  the  settlement  work  has 
been  the  promotion  of  a  boy  from  that  school  to 


1 32 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


Tuskegee  Institute.  He  has  stood  the  test  of  four 
years  in  his  classes,  industrial  and  academic,  and  is 
now  most  promising. 

The  second  step  to  place  the  work  on  a  hopeful 
basis  has  been  the  purchase  of  ten  more  acres  of 
land.  A  two-room  cottage  has  been  built  recently, 
and  the  mother  of  the  first  settlement  boy  to  come 
to  the  front,  and  one  of  our  pioneer  workers  in  the 
venture,  has  been  given  a  chance  to  not  only  earn 
her  living,  but  to  serve  as  a  native  object-lesson  of 
neatness  in  her  home  and  surroundings.  Eight  years 
of  constant  work  teaching  old  and  young  how  to 
live  has  resulted  in  better  built  homes  on  the  planta¬ 
tion.  Owner  has  replaced  one-room  log  cabins  with 
two-room  cottages. 

House  to  house  visits  and  the  object-lesson  of  the 
settlement  work  have  told  for  good  in  the  matter 
of  cleanliness.  The  marriage  tie  is  respected.  It  is 
the  exception  rather  than  the  rule  to  find  unmarried 
mothers  living  with  their  children’s  fathers  without 
even  a  sense  of  shame. 

The  barefoot  boys  and  girls,  men  and  women,  who 
first  attended  the  settlement  Sunday  School  eight 
years  ago,  come  neatly  dressed.  Men  and  women 
who  could  not  read  or  write  in  the  beginning  of 
the  work  can  read  their  Sunday  School  lessons  and 
write  a  presentable  note  in  a  matter  of  business. 

The  Mothers’  Union  has  brought  the  mothers  to 
see  the  deep  necessity  of  exerting  their  influence  for 


HELPING  THE  MOTHERS 


i33 


good  of  home  and  people.  The  penny  savings  bank 
held  by  the  teacher  represents  stockholders  that 
mean  to  be  owners  of  their  own  homes. 

In  the  night  school,  the  grown  people,  who  are 
employed  during  the  day,  are  taught  the  simple  les¬ 
sons  which  were  neglected  in  their  youth.  At  first 
many  of  them  were  ashamed  to  admit  their  igno¬ 
rance.  One  young  man,  whom  Mrs.  Washington 
noticed  during  one  of  her  visits  as  being  particularly 
sullen  when  asked  to  join  the  class,  has  turned  out 
to  be  one  of  the  most  ambitious  pupils.  “At  first 
I  was  almost  afraid  to  speak  to  him,”  she  said,  “  but 
after  I  talked  to  him  a  little  while,  he  broke  down 
quite  suddenly,  and  exclaimed: 

“  Oh,  Mis’  Washington !  I’se  so  ashamed,  I  don’t 
even  know  my  letters.”  But  it  is  the  classes  in 
cooking  and  cleaning  and  sewing  which  have  been 
most  successful,  and  these  are  responsible  more  than 
anything  else  for  the  change  in  the  women. 

From  the  outset,  the  white  planters  who  employ 
most  of  the  coloured  families  of  the  settlement  have 
aided  in  the  work.  When  Mrs.  Washington  first 
sent  for  permission  to  carry  on  some  missionary  work 
among  his  tenants,  he  sent  a  boy  on  a  mule  with  a 
fat  turkey,  and  a  message  for  me  to  “come  and  do 
anything  I  liked.”  What  seemed  to  be  a  discourage¬ 
ment  at  first  was  that  occasionally  a  family  moved 
away,  thus  causing  the  teacher  to  begin  all  over 
again,  with  a  newcomer,  the  work  which  had  been 


i34  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


scarce  finished  with  the  old.  Later  she  came  to  see 
that  those  who  migrated  served  to  spread  the  influ¬ 
ence  into  other  neighbourhoods,  thus  broadening 
the  teachings  far  beyond  her  own  limitations. 


CHAPTER  XI 


The  Tillers  of  the  Ground 

There  is  held  at  the  Tuskegee  Institute  every 
year  a  remarkable  conference  of  Negro  workers, 
mostly  farmers,  who  are  to  work  out  their  salvation 
by  the  sweat  of  their  brows  in  tilling  the  soil  of  the 
South.  The  purpose  of  these  gatherings  is  severely 
practical — to  encourage  those  who  have  not  had  the 
advantages  of  training  and  instruction,  and  to  give 
them  a  chance  to  learn  from  the  success  of  others  as 
handicapped  as  they  what  are  their  own  possibilities. 
As  I  have  said  many  times,  it  is  my  conviction  that 
the  great  body  of  the  Negro  population  must  live  in 
the  future  as  they  have  done  in  the  past,  by  the  cul¬ 
tivation  of  the  soil,  and  the  most  hopeful  service  now 
to  be  done  is  to  enable  the  race  to  follow  agriculture 
with  intelligence  and  diligence. 

I  have  just  finished  reading  a  little  pamphlet  writ¬ 
ten  by  Mr.  George  W.  Carver,  Director  of  the  Agri¬ 
cultural  Department  at  Tuskegee,  giving  the  results 
of  some  of  his  experiments  in  raising  sweet  potatoes 
for  one  year.  This  coloured  man  has  shown  in  plain, 
simple  language,  based  on  scientific  principles,  how  he 
has  raised  two  hundred  and  sixty-six  bushels  of  sweet 

I35 


1 36  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


potatoes  on  a  single  acre  of  common  land,  and  made 
a  net  profit  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-one  dollars. 
The  average  yield  of  sweet  potatoes  to  the  acre,  in  the 
part  of  the  South  where  this  experiment  was  tried, 
is  thirty-seven  bushels  per  acre.  This  coloured  man 
is  now  preparing  to  make  this  same  land  produce 
five  hundred  bushels  of  potatoes. 

I  have  watched  this  experiment  with  a  great  deal 
of  pleasure.  The  deep  interest  shown  by  the  neigh¬ 
bouring  white  farmers  has  been  most  gratifying.  I 
do  not  believe  that  a  single  white  farmer  who  visited 
the  field  to  see  the  unusual  yield  ever  thought  of  hav¬ 
ing  any  prejudice  or  feeling  against  this  coloured  man 
because  his  education  had  enabled  him  to  make  a 
marked  success  of  raising  sweet  potatoes.  There 
were,  on  the  other  hand,  many  evidences  of  respect 
for  this  coloured  man  and  of  gratitude  for  the  infor¬ 
mation  which  he  had  furnished. 

If  we  had  a  hundred  such  coloured  men  in  each 
county  in  the  South,  who  could  make  their  education 
felt  in  meeting  the  world’s  needs,  there  would  be  no 
race  problem.  But  in  order  to  get  such  men,  those 
interested  in  the  education  of  the  Negro  must  begin 
to  look  facts  and  conditions  in  the  face.  Too  great 
a  gap  has  been  left  between  the  Negro’s  real  condition 
and  the  position  for  which  we  have  tried  to  fit  him 
through  the  medium  of  our  text-books.  We  have 
overlooked  in  many  cases  the  fact  that  long  years  of 
experience  and  discipline  are  necessary  for  any  race 


THE  TILLERS  OF  THE  GROUND  137 


before  it  can  get  the  greatest  amount  of  good  out  of 
the  text -books.  Much  that  the  Negro  has  studied 
presupposes  conditions  that  do  not,  for  him,  exist. 

The  weak  point  in  the  past  has  been  that  no 
attempt  has  been  made  to  bridge  the  gap  between  the 
Negro’s  educated  brain  and  his  opportunity  for  sup- 
plying  the  wants  of  an  awakened  mind.  There  has 
been  almost  no  thought  of  connecting  the  educated 
brain  with  the  educated  hand.  It  is  almost  a  crime  to 
take  young  men  from  the  farm,  or  from  farming  dis¬ 
tricts,  and  educate  them,  as  is  too  often  done,  in 
everything  except  agriculture,  the  one  subject  with 
which  they  should  be  most  familiar.  The  result  is 
that  the  young  man,  instead  of  being  educated  to 
love  agriculture,  is  educated  out  of  sympathy  with  it ; 
and  instead  of  returning  to  his  father’s  farm  after 
leaving  college,  to  show  him  how  to  produce  more 
with  less  labour,  the  young  man  is  often  tempted  to 
go  into  the  city  or  town  to  live  by  his  wits. 

The  purpose  of  the  Tuskegee  Negro  Conference  is 
to  help  the  farmers  who  are  too  old,  or  too  bound 
down  by  their  responsibilities,  to  attend  schools  or 
institutes ;  to  do  for  them,  in  a  small  way,  what  Tus¬ 
kegee  and  other  agencies  seek  to  do  for  the  younger 
generation.  Coloured  men  and  women  make  long  and 
expensive  journeys  to  be  present,  coming  from  all 
the  Southern  and  several  of  the  Northern  states. 
They  have  found  that  their  money  is  not  wasted,  for 
they  learn  much  by  seeing  what  has  been  done  at  the 


i38  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


school,  from  the  advice  of  experts,  but  more 
especially  by  the  exchange  of  opinions  and  by 
comparing  experiences  in  their  own  field  of  work. 
These  meetings  are  not  for  whining  or  complaints. 
Their  keynote  is  hopeful  courage.  To  look  up 
and  not  down,  forward  and  not  backward,  to  be 
cheerful  and  mutually  helpful,  is  the  golden  rule  of 
the  conference. 

It  was  decided  from  the  first  to  confine  the  pro¬ 
ceedings  to  matters  which  the  race  had  closely 
within  its  own  control,  and  to  positive,  aggressive 
effort,  rather  than  to  mere  negative  criticisms  and 
recitations  of  wrongs.  I  wanted  these  coloured 
farmers  and  their  wives  to  consult  about  the 
methods  and  means  of  securing  homes,  of  freeing  them¬ 
selves  from  debt,  of  encouraging  intelligent  produc¬ 
tion,  of  paying  their  taxes,  of  cultivating  habits  of 
thrift,  honesty  and  virtue,  of  building  school-houses, 
and  securing  education  and  high  Christian  character, 
of  cementing  the  friendships  between  the  races. 

In  these  conventions,  as  in  other  ways,  we  have 
tried  to  keep  alive  the  feeling  of  hope  and  encour¬ 
agement.  AAe  have  seen  darker  days  than  these, 
and  no  race  that  is  patient,  long-suffering,  indus¬ 
trious,  economical,  and  virtuous,  no  race  that  is  per¬ 
sistent  in  efforts  that  make  for  progress,  no  race 
that  cultivates  a  spirit  of  good-will  toward  all  man¬ 
kind,  is  left  without  reward. 

The  Farmers’  Conference  each  year  adopts  a 


THE  TILLERS  OF  THE  GROUND  139 


declaration  of  principles,  which  sum  up  its  objects 
in  such  words  as  these : 

“  Our  object  shall  be  to  promote  the  moral,  mate¬ 
rial,  and  educational  progress  of  this  entire  com¬ 
munity.  Believing,  as  we  do,  that  we  are  our  own 
worst  enemies,  we  pledge,  here  and  now,  from  this 
time  forth,  to  use  every  effort — 

“To  abolish  and  do  away  with  the  mortgage  sys¬ 
tem  just  as  rapidly  as  possible. 

“  To  raise  our  food  supplies,  such  as  corn,  potatoes, 
syrup,  pease,  hogs,  chickens,  etc.,  at  home  rather 
than  to  go  in  debt  for  them  at  the  store. 

“To  stop  throwing  away  our  time  and  money  on 
Saturdays  by  standing  around  towns,  drinking  and 
disgracing  ourselves  in  many  other  ways. 

“To  oppose,  at  all  times,  the  excursion  and  camp¬ 
meeting,  and  to  try  earnestly  to  secure  better 
schools,  better  teachers,  and  better  preachers. 

“To  try  to  buy  homes,  to  urge  upon  all  Negroes 
the  necessity  of  owning  homes  and  farms,  and  not 
only  to  own  them,  but  to  beautify  and  improve 
them. 

“Since  the  greater  number  of  us  are  engaged  in 
agriculture,  we  urge  the  importance  of  stock  and 
poultry  raising,  the  teaching  of  agriculture  in  the 
country  schools,  the  thorough  cultivation  of  a  small 
acreage,  rather  than  the  poor  cultivation  of  a  large 
one,  attention  to  farm-work  in  winter,  and  getting 
rid  of  the  habit  of  living  in  one-room  houses. 


i4o  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

“We  urge  more  protection  to  life  and  property, 
better  homes  for  tenants,  and  that  home  life  in  the 
country  be  made  more  attractive,  all  this  with  the 
view  of  keeping  such  great  numbers  of  our  people 
out  of  the  large  cities. 

“  In  connection  with  the  better  schools  and 
churches,  we  emphasise  the  need  of  careful  atten¬ 
tion  to  the  morals  of  our  ministers  and  teachers,  and 
all  others  acting  in  the  capacity  of  leaders. 

“Prosperity  and  peace  are  dependent  upon 
friendly  relations  between  the  races,  and  to  this  end 
we  urge  a  spirit  of  manly  forbearance  and  mutual 
interest.” 

What  these  conferences  are  doing,  and  what  sort 
of  people  are  coming  to  them  every  year,  may  be 
gathered  from  some  of  their  experiences  as  they  have 
told  them  themselves  during  their  visit  to  Tuskegee. 
Some  of  the  best  things  are  said  by  men  and  women 
who  have  succeeded  in  working  their  way  up  from 
abject  poverty  to  comfortable  independence.  There 
is  no  better  antidote  for  the  foolish  talk  so  often 
heard  about  the  inevitable  shiftlessness  of  the  Negro 
race  than  these  short  and  pithy  narratives  of  sacrifice, 
struggle  and  achievement.  A  Florida  man  said  that 
he  had  six  dollars  when  he  married.  He  now  owns 
two  hundred  acres  and  a  home  of  seven  rooms.  “  I 
did  without  most  everything  until  I  got  it  paid  for,” 
he  explained.  He  has  fifty-seven  head  of  cattle,  six 
work  horses,  and  five  colts,  all  raised  by  himself. 


THE  TILLERS  OF  THE  GROUND  141 


Is  it  dangerous  to  give  the  ballot  to  that  kind  of  a 
citizen  ?  Will  he  be  apt  to  use  it  to  promote  extrav¬ 
agant  taxation? 

An  Alabama  farmer  said : 

“  I  own  sixty-seven  acres  of  land.  I  got  it  by 
working  hard  and  living  close.  I  did  not  eat  at  any 
big  tables.  I  often  lived  on  bread  and  milk.  I  have 
five  rooms  to  my  house.  I  started  with  one,  and  that 
was  made  of  logs.  I  add  a  room  every  year.  I  was 
lucky  in  marrying  a  woman  whose  father  gave  her  a 
cow.  I  ain’t  got  no  fine  clock  or  organ.  I  did  once 
own  a  buggy,  but  it  was  a  shabby  one,  and  now  we 
ride  in  a  wagon,  or  I  go  horse-back  on  a  horse  I 
raised  that  is  worth  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 
I  have  seven  children  in  school.” 

“  I  started  plowing  with  my  pants  rolled  up  and 
barefoot,”  said  a  Georgia  man.  “I  saved  five  hun¬ 
dred  dollars  and  bought  a  home  in  Albany,  Georgia. 
I  bought  two  hundred  acres  for  seven  dollars  an  acre, 
and  paid  for  it  in  three  years.  I  made  that  pay  for 
two  hundred  acres  more.  After  awhile  I  bought 
thirteen  hundred  acres.  I  live  on  it,  and  it  is  all  paid 
for.  I  have  twenty-five  buildings  and  they  all  came 
out  of  my  pocketbook.  That  land  is  now  worth 
twenty-five  dollars  an  acre.  For  a  distance  of  four 
or  five  miles  from  my  settlement,  there  has  not  been 
a  man  in  the  chain-gang  for  years.  I  work  forty- 
seven  head  of  mules.  The  only  way  we  will  ever 
be  a  race  is  by  getting  homes  and  living  a  virtuous 


142  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


life.  I  don’t  give  mortgages.  I  take  mortgages  on 
black  and  white.  I  have  put  the  first  bale  of  cotton 
on  the  market  in  Georgia  every  year  for  eight 
years.” 

A  widow  from  Alabama  told  her  story,  which 
shows  among  other  things  how  a  dog  may  be  useful : 

“  There  are  three  in  my  family,  and  I  am  the  boss. 
I  save  about  a  hundred  dollars  a  year.  I  give  no 
mortgages.  I  plant  everything  that  a  farmer  can 
plant.  I  raise  my  own  syrup,  meat,  pease,  com,  and 
everything  we  need  to  eat.  I  have  three  cows. 
You  have  got  to  go  low  down  to  get  up  high.  I 
traded  a  little  puppy  with  my  brother  for  a  pig. 
From  this  one  pig  I  raised  eight  pigs,  and  for  seven 
years  I  have  not  bought  a  pound  of  meat.  I  am 
living  on  the  strength  of  that  little  puppy  yet.  I 
own  forty  acres,  and  sometimes  rent  more  land.” 

A  coloured  minister  from  Alabama  said  that  he 
farmed  as  well  as  preached.  He  was  a  renter  for 
seven  years.  In  nine  years  he  paid  for  four  hundred 
acres,  and  now  owns  ten  hundred  and  fifteen  acres. 
He  raises  horses,  cows,  mules,  and  hogs  and  has  fifty 
persons  dependent  upon  him.  He  owns  the  land 
where  he  used  to  live  as  a  renter,  and  lives  in  the 
house  of  the  man  from  whom  he  rented.  There  are 
few  white  people  in  his  neighbourhood.  Most  of 
the  coloured  people  own  their  own  homes,  and  they 
have  lengthened  the  annual  school  term  two  months 
at  their  own  expense.  This  man  said  that,  when  he 


THE  TILLERS  OF  THE  GROUND 


i43 


first  bought  land,  he  split  rails  to  fence  it  during  the 
day  and  carried  them  around  at  night,  and  his  wife 
built  the  fence. 

A  South  Carolinian,  who  was  never  before  so  far 
from  home,  said  that  he  was  a  slave  for  twenty 
years.  “  I  used  to  work  six  days  for  my  master,  and 
Sunday  for  myself,”  he  said.  “God  introduced  ten 
commandments,  but  our  people  have  added  another, 
‘Thou  shalt  not  work  Saturdays  or  Sundays,  either.’ 
I  stick  to  the  Ten  Commandments  and  put  in  six  days 
a  week,  and  in  that  way  have  bought  three  hundred 
acres  and  paid  for  it.  I  have  a  large  house  for  my 
own  family  of  ten,  and  fourteen  other  buildings  on 
the  place,  six  of  them  rented.  No  man  is  a  farmer 
excepting  the  man  who  lives  on  the  produce  of  his 
farm.” 

A  visitor  from  Louisiana  told  how  he  had  bor¬ 
rowed  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  from  his  father 
and  bought  twenty-five  acres  of  land  in  1877.  He 
used  to  begin  work  at  four  o’clock  in  the  morning. 
For  a  year  his  wife  ground  all  their  meal,  three  ears 
at  a  time,  in  a  small  hand-mill.  Now  he  owns  three 
hundred  acres  of  sugar  land,  worth  a  hundred  dollars 
an  acre,  and  has  twenty-seven  white  and  forty-eight 
coloured  people  working  for  him. 

“  I  would  like  to  set  a  big  table  for  you,”  said  one 
of  these  farmers  whom  I  visited  at  his  home,  “but, 
professor,  you-all  is  teachin’  us  to  ’conermise  an’ 
save,  an’  dats  what  I’se  tryin’  to  do.”  When  you 


i44  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

remember  how  anxious  the  good  farmers  and  their 
wives  are  always  to  set  a  good  table  for  the  visiting 
“professors”  and  “revrums,”  this  man  had  a  good 
deal  of  courage  in  departing  from  old  customs. 

I  say  to  the  farmers :  “  If  feeding  the  ‘  brutherins  ’ 
is  a  strain  on  you,  feed  no  more  of  them.  Cut  down 
on  all  expenses  that  can  be  trimmed  without  injury 
to  yourself.” 

One  woman  from  Bullock  County,  Alabama,  car¬ 
ried  away  the  true  spirit  of  the  conference.  Not 
long  ago,  one  of  our  agents  saw  a  deed  to  a  valuable 
piece  of  farm  land,  bought  with  money  she  had  saved 
by  selling  cows.  She  said  that  she  had  never  thought 
of  any  such  plan  until  she  had  visited  the  Farmers 
Conference  and  heard  others  tell  how  they  had 
bought  land.  An  unusual  feature  of  this  case  was 
that  the  woman  did  not  live  in  the  town  in  which 
she  had  invested  her  money.  She  had  made  her¬ 
self  interested  enough  to  seek  a  chance  to  invest  her 
earnings  in  the  purchase  of  property  several  miles 
from  her  home  settlement.  She  said  that  it  required 
a  mighty  sight  of  will-power  to  keep  from  buying 
fine  clothes  with  the  money,  but  she  was  determined 
to  get  hold  of  some  land,  and  she  did  it  without  any 
assistance  from  her  husband. 

“Yes,  of  course  I’ll  be  at  the  next  Negro  Confer¬ 
ence,”  wrote  another  farmer,  “  I  want  you  to  give 
me  a  chance  to  talk,  too.  I  want  to  show  Mr.  Wash¬ 
ington  a  turnip  I  raised  in  my  own  garden,  and  have 


THE  TILLERS  OF  THE  GROUND  145 


been  saving  for  the  Conference,  and  I  want  to  tell  him 
how  much  I  have  raised  and  eaten  out  of  my  own 
garden,  and  how  much  I  have  saved  as  the  result  of 
these  teachings  at  the  annual  meetings.” 

Another  wrote  recently: 

“  I  have  to  buy  very  little  to  eat,  for  I  raise  with 
one  horse  all  I  want  to  eat,  and  a  little  more  besides. 
Last  year  I  raised  nine  bales  of  cotton,  plenty  of 
com,  sugar  cane,  pease,  and  potatoes,  and  many 
other  things.  Besides  this,  my  wife  raised  twenty 
hogs,  and  a  yard  full  of  chickens,  geese  and  turkeys. 
The  only  way  for  the  farmer  to  get  out  of  debt  and 
keep  out  of  debt  is  to  buy  a  home,  raise  what  he  eats, 
and  pay  at  once  for  what  he  gets  out  of  the  store.” 

A  pilgrim  from  Georgia  thus  expressed  himself : 

“  I  came  here  to  get  my  keg  full  of  good  news  and 
glad  tidings  to  carry  back  to  Georgia,  and  I  have  got 
it.  I  began  working  for  myself  when  I  was  eighteen 
years  old.  My  father  and  mother  died  when  I  was 
a  child.  I  first  worked  for  eight  dollars  and  fifty 
cents  a  month  and  my  board,  and  cleared  eighty- 
three  dollars  the  first  year.  Then  I  worked  on 
shares  for  a  while,  then  I  bought  a  mule  on  credit, 
using  my  money  to  support  myself  while  raising  a 
crop.  Now  I  own  fifteen  hundred  acres  of  land,  all 
paid  for.  I  have  six  rooms  in  my  house.  I  don’t 
give  any  mortgages.  I  have  twenty-three  plows, 
and  a  bank  account.  I  haul  on  my  drays  about  ten 
thousand  bales  of  cotton  every  year  for  the  planters 


146  working  with  the  hands 


in  my  county.  I  have  another  patch  of  fifty  acres 
near  Fort  Gaines  on  which  there  is  a  six -room  house.” 

“We  come  here  to  learn  wisdom  and  knowledge,” 
said  a  man  from  Macon  County,  Alabama.  “  I  had 
a  part  of  the  slavery  time,  and  I’ve  had  all  of  the 
freedom  time.  When  I  was  in  my  eighteenth  year 
I  wanted  to  marry  the  worst  way.  I  did  it  some¬ 
how,  and  then  we  tried  every  plan  to  get  ahead  in 
the  world.  I  worked  Sunday  as  well  as  Monday. 
I  even  hitched  myself  to  the  plow,  and  my  wife 
plowed  me.  Now  I  have  got  horses,  mules,  com,  and 
plenty  of  everything  to  do  me,  but  I  have  not  got 
any  home.  Next  year  when  I  come  here  I  am  going 
to  own  a  place  of  my  own  instead  of  renting  it.” 

Scores  of  similar  illustrations  could  be  quoted  to 
show  that  the  Negro  farmer  is  fighting  his  own  bat¬ 
tles,  and  that  in  his  annual  visits  to  Tuskegee  he 
preaches,  both  to  the  students  and  to  his  fellow  toil¬ 
ers,  the  gospel  of  work  with  the  hands  as  the  path¬ 
way  to  freedom.  The  kind  of  practical  advice  dis¬ 
tributed  among  these  farmers  is  illustrated  in  the 
following  specimen  of  the  leaflets  issued  by  our 
“Bureau  of  Nature  Study  for  Schools.”  This  one 
on  Hints  and  Suggestions  for  Farmers  has  to  do  with 
the  ever- vital  question  of  “Mortgage  Lifting”: 

“Farmers  all  over  the  Cotton  Belt  are  now  finish¬ 
ing  their  plans  for  the  growing  of  this  year’s  crop. 
All  sorts  of  financial  plans  have  been  made.  Per¬ 
haps  the  most  common  among  our  farmers  is  the 


THE  TILLERS  OF  THE  GROUND  147 


credit  plan  or  crop  mortgage.  In  this  the  farmer 
binds  himself  and  family  to  make  a  crop,  usually  cot¬ 
ton,  for  any  one  who  will  ‘advance’  him  what  he 
must  buy  while  growing  the  crop.  He  agrees  to  pay 
interest,  ranging  from  ten  to  thirty-five  per  cent,  on 
the  cost  of  the  things  furnished.  Thus  a  pair  of 
shoes  which  would  sell  for  $1.50  in  cash  would  cost 
about  $2  in  the  fall.  If  allowed  to  run  until  the  next 
Fall,  it  would  cost  him  about  $2.50.  If  allowed  to 
run  three  years,  it  would  take  $3.15  to  pay  for  a  $  1 . 5  o 
pair  of  shoes.  If  carried  the  fourth  year,  it  would 
take  $4,  and  one  year  more  would  call  for  $5. 

“Too  many  farmers  are  paying  $5  for  shoes  which 
would  have  cost  them  only  $1.50  if  they  had  man¬ 
aged  their  business  properly.  Too  many  times  the 
$5  shoes  are  never  paid  for,  leaving  an  unkindly 
feeling  between  the  ‘advancer’  and  the  one  ‘ad¬ 
vanced,’  causing  the  landlord  and  tenant,  and  very 
often  the  merchant,  to  suffer. 

“Yet  the  farmer  must  have  clothing.  He  must 
have  plows,  hoes,  wagons,  etc.  No  man  who  tills 
the  soil  should  have  to  suffer  for  something  to  eat. 
Perhaps  no  one  will  question  the  farmer’s  right  to 
make  the  crop  mortgage.  He  must  and  ought  to 
have  plenty  of  good,  wholesome  food  to  make  it  pos¬ 
sible  for  him  to  do  his  work  well.  But  for  his  own 
good,  the  good  of  his  family,  for  the  good  of  the  land¬ 
lord,  and  the  community  in  which  he  lives,  we  do  dis¬ 
pute  his  right  to  manage  business  as, many  of  our 


1 48  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


farmers  do.  He  should  not  make  a  mortgage  he 
cannot  easily  lift. 

“  If  it  requires  $i  50  to  supply  a  farmer  for  a  season, 
at  the  end  of  that  season  his  debt  will  be  about  $  1 80 — • 
an  extra  $30,  the  average  value  of  a  bale  of  cotton, 
to  do  a  credit  business.  If  it  requires  $75  to  carry 
him,  he  will  owe  about  $90,  costing  him  half  a  bale 
of  cotton  to  do  a  credit  business.  Now,  do  you  note 
that  the  smaller  the  amount  borrowed,  the  smaller 
the  amount  of  interest,  and  the  easier  it  becomes  for 
the  farmer  to  lift  the  whole  thing  ?  Don’t  load  so 
heavily.  Put  two  thousand  pounds  on  a  thousand- 
pound  wagon  and  see  what  becomes  of  you,  your 
load,  and  your  wagon.  One  man  tries  by  main 
strength  to  lift  a  large  load.  He  fails  and  gives  up 
in  despair.  Another  man  gets  a  long  pole,  or  lever, 
and  with  the  greatest  ease  raises  and  places  the  load 
where  it  is  wanted.  The  first  uses  only  muscle, 
while  the  last  mixes  muscle  with  brains. 

“Could  we  not  say  the  same  thing  of  the  unsuc¬ 
cessful  and  the  successful  mortgage  lifter?  If  you 
will  use  your  head  and  go  at  that  debt  in  the  right 
way,  you  will  be  surprised  with  what  great  ease  you 
can  get  it  out  of  the  way.  Well,  how  can  this  be 
done,  one  man  asks  ?  What  would  you  advise  ?  A 
wise  man  listens  to  advice.  If  he  thinks  it  good,  he 
will  try  to  follow  it.  The  farmer  who  is  in  debt 
must — 

“  Not  make  bad  bargains.  He  must  work  all  day 


THE  TILLERS  OF  THE  GROUND  149 


and  sometimes  part  of  the  night,  and  buy  only  what 
he  is  compelled  to  have.  He  should  raise  every¬ 
thing  he  eats  and  a  little  more,  and  then  cultivate 
as  much  cotton  as  he  can. 

“Some  of  the  farmers  buy  shoddy  goods  at  fair 
prices.  They  allow  the  boys  and  girls  to  buy  cheap 
jewelry.  They  buy  a  sewing  machine  on  credit  for 
fifty  or  sixty  dollars,  and  when  they  get  it  paid  for, 
if  they  ever  do,  it  has  cost  about  a  hundred  dollars. 
They  pay  ten  and  fifteen  dollars  for  a  washstand  and 
bureau  when  an  upholstered  box  would  do  for  the 
present.  The  industrious  farmer  works  from  sun¬ 
rise  to  sunset  every  day  in  the  week.  If  there  is 
some  light  work  he  can  do  by  putting  in  two  or  three 
hours  during  the  long  winter  nights,  you  find  him  at 
it.  It  takes  this  to  lift  the  mortgage. 

“The  sensible  farmer  will  not  buy  five  hundred 
pounds  of  bacon  if  there  is  any  way  to  get  along  with 
two  hundred  and  fifty.  If  he  must  buy  it  on  credit, 
he  will  eat  butter,  drink  milk,  raise  and  eat  eggs  and 
chickens,  kill  a  young  beef  when  he  can,  and  dry  or 
pickle  it,  so  as  to  supply  his  wants  from  his  own 
produce  as  long  as  possible. 

.  “The  farmer  who  wants  to  get  out  of  debt  will 
have  large  patches  of  greens,  his  garden  will  have 
something  growing  in  it  the  year  round.  His  table 
will  be  loaded  with  wild  fruits,  such  as  blackberries, 
huckleberries,  plums,  etc.  His  potatoes  will  keep 
him  from  buying  so  much  corn  meal  and  flour  on 


I5o  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

credit.  He  plans  to  raise  more  than  enough  com, 
oats,  and  wheat  to  do  him  another  year.  Then  he 
makes  that  cotton  crop  count.  He  gathers  every 
lock  of  it  as  fast  as  it  opens  and  tries  to  sell  it  for 
every  cent  it  is  worth.  He  walks  up  like  a  man  and 
pays  every  cent  he  owes  when  it  falls  due.  Then  his 
neighbours,  both  white  and  coloured,  learn  to  respect 
him  because  he  is  an  honest  man,  he  owes  nobody, 
his  store-house,  smoke-house,  and  barn  are  loaded 
with  fruits,  and  home-made  produce.  He  is  a  happy 
man  because  that  mortgage  is  lifted.” 


CHAPTER  XII 


Pleasure  and  Profit  of  Work  in  the  Soil 

I  have  always  been  intensely  fond  of  outdoor 
life.  Perhaps  the  explanation  for  this  lies  partly 
in  the  fact  that  I  was  born  nearly  out-of-doors.  I 
have  also,  from  my  earliest  childhood,  been  very 
fond  of  animals  and  fowls.  When  I  was  but  a 
child,  and  a  slave,  I  had  many  close  and  interesting 
acquaintances  with  animals. 

During  my  childhood  days,  as  a  slave,  I  did  not 
see  very  much  of  my  mother,  as  she  was  obliged 
to  leave  her  children  very  early  in  the  morning  to 
begin  her  day’s  work.  Her  early  departure  often 
made  the  matter  of  my  securing  breakfast  uncertain. 
This  led  to  my  first  intimate  acquaintance  with 
animals. 

In  those  days  it  was  the  custom  upon  the  planta¬ 
tion  to  boil  the  Indian  corn  that  was  fed  to  the 
cows  and  pigs.  At  times,  when  I  had  failed  to  get 
any  other  breakfast,  I  used  to  go  to  the  places 
where  the  cows  and  pigs  were  fed,  and  share  their 
breakfast  with  them,  or  else  go  to  the  place  where  it 
was  the  custom  to  boil  the  corn,  and  get  my  morning 
meal  there  before  it  was  taken  to  the  animals. 


1 52  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

If  I  was  not  there  at  the  exact  moment  of  feeding, 

I  could  still  find  enough  corn  scattered  around  the 
fence  or  the  trough  to  satisfy  me.  Some  people  may 
think  that  this  was  a  pretty  bad  way  to  get  one’s 
food,  but,  leaving  out  the  name  and  the  associations, 
there  was  nothing  very  bad  about  it.  Any  one 
who  has  eaten  hard  boiled  corn  knows  that  it  has 
a  delicious  taste.  I  never  pass  a  pot  of  boiled  corn 
now  without  yielding  to  the  temptation  to  eat  a 
few  grains. 

Another  thing  that  assisted  in  developing  my 
fondness  for  animals  was  my  contact  with  the 
best  breeds  of  fowls  and  animals  when  I  was  a 
student  at  the  Hampton  Institute.  Notwithstanding 
that  my  work  there  was  not  directly  connected 
with  the  stock,  the  mere  fact  that  I  saw  the  best 
kinds  of  animals  and  fowls  day  after  day  increased 
my  love  for  them,  and  made  me  resolve  that  when 
I  went  out  into  the  world  I  would  have  some  as 
nearly  like  those  as  possible. 

I  think  that  I  owe  a  great  deal  of  my  present 
strength  and  capacity  for  hard  work  to  my  love  of 
outdoor  life.  It  is  true  that  the  amount  of  time 
that  I  can  spend  in  the  open  air  is  now  very  limited. 
Taken  on  an  average,  it  is  perhaps  not  more  than 
an  hour  a  day,  but  I  make  the  most  of  that  hour. 
In  addition  to  this,  I  get  much  pleasure  out  of 
looking  forward  to  and  planning  for  that  hour. 

I  do  not  believe  that  any  one  who  has  not  worked 


PLEASURE  AND  PROFIT  OF  WORK  153 


in  a  garden  can  begin  to  understand  how  much 
pleasure  and  strength  of  body  and  mind  and  soul 
can  be  derived  from  one’s  garden,  no  matter  how 
small  it  may  be,  and  often  the  smaller  it  is  the  better. 
If  the  garden  be  ever  so  limited  in  area,  one  may 
still  have  the  gratifying  experience  of  learning  how 
much  can  be  produced  on  a  little  plot  carefully 
laid  out,  thoroughly  fertilised,  and  intelligently 
cultivated.  And  then,  though  the  garden  may  be 
small,  if  the  flowers  and  vegetables  prosper,  there 
springs  up  a  feeling  of  kinship  between  the  man 
and  his  plants,  as  he  tends  and  watches  the  growth 
of  each  individual  fruition  from  day  to  day.  Every 
morning  brings  some  fresh  development,  born  of 
the  rain,  the  dew,  and  the  sunshine. 

The  letter  or  the  address  you  began  writing  the 
day  before  never  grows  until  you  return  and  take 
up  the  work  where  it  was  left  off;  not  so  with  the 
plant.  Some  change  has  taken  place  during  the 
night,  in  the  appearance  of  bud,  or  blossom,  or 
fruit.  This  sense  of  newness,  of  expectancy,  brings 
to  me  a  daily  inspiration  whose  sympathetic  sig¬ 
nificance  it  is  impossible  to  convey  in  words. 

It  is  not  only  a  pleasure  to  grow  vegetables  for 
one’s  table,  but  I  find  much  satisfaction,  also,  in 
sending  selections  of  the  best  specimens  to  some 
neighbour  whose  garden  is  backward,  or  to  one  who 
has  not  learned  the  art  of  raising  the  finest  or  the 
earliest  varieties,  and  who  is  therefore  surprised  to 


*54 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


receive  new  potatoes  two  weeks  in  advance  of  any 
one  else. 

When  I  am  at  my  home  in  Tuskegee,  I  am  able, 
by  rising  early  in  the  morning,  to  spend  at  least 
half  an  hour  in  my  garden,  or  with  my  fowls,  pigs, 
or  cows.  Whenever  I  can  take  the  time,  I  like  to 
hunt  for  the  new  eggs  each  morning  myself,  and 
when  at  home  I  am  selfish  enough  to  permit  no  one 
else  to  make  these  discoveries.  As  with  the  growing 
plants,  there  is  a  sense  of  freshness  and  restfulness 
in  the  finding  and  handling  of  newly  laid  eggs  that 
is  delightful  to  me.  Both  the  anticipation  and  the 
realisation  are  most  pleasing.  I  begin  the  day  by 
seeing  how  many  eggs  I  can  find,  or  how  many 
little  chickens  are  just  beginning  to  peep  through 
the  shells. 

Speaking  of  little  chickens  coming  into  life  reminds 
me  that  one  of  our  students  called  my  attention  to 
a  fact  connected  with  the  chickens  owned  by  the 
school  which  I  had  not  previously  known.  When 
some  of  the  first  little  chickens  came  out  of  their 
shells,  they  began  almost  immediately  to  help  others, 
not  so  forward,  to  break  their  way  out.  It  was 
delightful  to  me  to  hear  that  the  chickens  raised  at 
the  school  had,  so  early  in  life,  caught  the  Tuskegee 
spirit  of  helpfulness  toward  others. 

I  am  deeply  interested  in  the  different  kinds  of 
fowls,  and,  aside  from  the  large  number  grown  by 
the  school  in  its  poultry  house  and  yards,  I  grow  at 


Courtesy  of  The  Outlook  Company 

When  at  Tuskegee  I  Find  a  Way  sy  Rising  Early  in  the  Morning  to  Spend  Half  an  Hour  in  My 


PLEASURE  AND  PROFIT  OF  WORK  155 


my  own  home  common  chickens,  Plymouth  Rocks, 
Buff  Cochins,  and  Brahmas,  Peking  ducks,  and  fan¬ 
tailed  pigeons. 

The  pig,  I  think,  is  my  favourite  animal.  In 
addition  to  some  common-bred  pigs,  I  keep  a  few 
Berkshires  and  some  Poland  Chinas;  and  it  is  a 
pleasure  to  me  to  watch  their  development  and 
increase  from  month  to  month.  Practically  all  the 
pork  used  in  my  family  is  of  my  own  raising. 

I  heard  not  long  ago  a  story  of  one  of  our  graduates 
which  delighted  me  as  an  illustration  of  the  real 
Tuskegee  spirit.  A  man  had  occasion  to  go  to  the 
village  of  Benton,  Alabama,  in  which  Mr.  A.  J. 
Wood,  one  of  our  graduates,  had  settled  ten  years 
before,  and  gone  into  business  as  a  general  merchant. 
In  this  time  he  has  built  up  a  good  trade  and  has 
obtained  for  himself  a  reputation  as  one  of  the  best 
and  most  reliable  business  men  in  the  place.  While 
the  visitor  was  there,  he  happened  to  step  to  the 
open  back  door  of  the  store,  and  stood  looking  out 
into  a  little  yard  behind  the  building.  The  merchant 
joining  him  there,  began  to  call,  “  Ho,  Boy.  Ho, 
Boy,”  and  finally,  in  response  to  this  calling,  there 
came  crawling  out  from  beneath  the  store,  with 
much  grunting,  because  he  was  altogether  too  big 
to  get  comfortably  from  under  the  building,  an 
enormous  black  hog. 

“You  see  that  hog,”  the  man  said.  “That’s  my 
hog.  I  raise  one  like  that  every  year  as  an  object- 


1 56  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


lesson  to  the  coloured  farmers  around  here  who 
come  to  the  store  to  trade.  About  all  I  feed  him  is 
the  waste  from  the  store.  When  the  farmers  come 
in  here,  I  show  them  my  hog,  and  I  tell  them  that 
if  they  would  shut  their  pigs  up  in  a  pen  of  rails, 
and  have  the  children  pick  up  acorns  in  the  woods 
to  feed  them  on,  they  might  have  just  such  hogs  as 
I  do,  instead  of  their  razor-backs  running  around 
wild  in  the  woods. 

“Perhaps  I  can’t  teach  a  school  here,”  the  man 
added,  “  but  if  I  can’t  do  that,  I  can  at  least  teach 
the  men  around  here  how  to  raise  hogs  as  I  learned 
to  raise  them  at  Tuskegee.” 

In  securing  the  best  breeds  of  fowls  and  animals 
at  Tuskegee,  I  have  the  added  satisfaction  of  seeing 
a  better  grade  of  stock  being  gradually  introduced 
among  the  farmers  who  live  near  the  school. 

After  I  have  gathered  my  eggs,  and  have  at 
least  said  “Good  morning”  to  my  pigs,  cows,  and 
horse,  the  next  morning  duty — no,  I  will  not  say 
duty,  but  delight— is  to  gather  the  vegetables  for 
the  family  dinner.  No  pease,  no  turnips,  radishes 
nor  salads  taste  so  good  as  those  which  one  has 
raised  and  gathered  with  his  own  hands  in  his  own 
garden.  In  comparison  with  these  all  the  high- 
sounding  dishes  found  in  the  most  expensive  restau¬ 
rants  seem  flavourless.  One  feels,  when  eating  his 
own  fresh  vegetables,  that  he  is  getting  near  to  the 
heart  of  nature;  not  a  second-hand  stale  imitation, 


Courtesy  of  The  Outlook  Company 


PLEASURE  AND  PROFIT  OF  WORK  157 


but  the  genuine  thing.  How  delightful  the  change, 
after  one  has  spent  weeks  eating  in  restaurants  or 
hotels,  and  has  had  a  bill  of  fare  pushed  before  his 
eyes  three  times  a  day,  or  has  heard  the  familiar 
sound  for  a  month  from  a  waiter’s  lips:  “Steak, 
pork  chops,  fried  eggs,  and  potatoes.” 

As  I  go  from  bed  to  bed  in  the  garden,  gathering 
my  lettuce,  pease,  spinach,  radishes,  beets,  onions 
and  the  relishes  with  which  to  garnish  the  dishes, 
and  note  the  growth  of  each  plant  since  the  previous 
day,  I  feel  a  nearness  and  kinship  to  the  plants 
which  makes  them  seem  to  me  like  members  of  my 
own  family.  When  engaged  in  this  work,  how  short 
the  half-hour  is,  how  quickly  each  minute  goes, 
bringing  nearer  the  time  when  I  must  go  to  my 
office.  When  I  do  go  there  it  is  with  a  vigour  and 
freshness  and  with  a  steadiness  of  nerve  that  pre¬ 
pares  me  thoroughly  for  what  perhaps  is  to  be  a 
difficult  and  trying  day — a  preparation  impossible, 
except  for  the  half-hour  spent  in  my  garden. 

All  through  the  day  I  am  enabled  to  do  more 
work  and  better  work  because  of  the  delightful 
anticipation  of  another  half-hour  or  more  in  my 
garden  after  the  office  work  is  done.  I  get  so  much 
pleasure  out  of  this  that  I  frequently  find  myself 
beseeching  Mrs.  Washington  to  delay  the  dinner 
hour  that  I  may  take  advantage  of  the  last  bit  of 
daylight  for  my  outdoor  work. 

My  own  experience  in  outdoor  life  leads  me  to 


158  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


hope  that  the  time  will  soon  come  when  there  will 
be  a  revolution  in  our  methods  of  educating  children, 
especially  in  the  schools  of  the  smaller  towns  and 
rural  districts.  I  consider  it  almost  a  sin  to  take  a 
number  of  children  whose  homes  are  on  farms,  and 
whose  parents  earn  their  living  by  farming,  and 
cage  them  up,  as  if  they  were  so  many  wild  beasts, 
for  six  or  seven  hours  during  the  day,  in  a  close 
room  where  the  air  is  often  impure. 

I  have  known  teachers  to  go  so  far  as  to  frost  the 
windows  in  a  school-room,  or  have  them  made  high 
up  in  the  wall,  or  keep  the  window  curtains  down, 
so  that  the  children  could  not  even  see  the  wonderful 
world  without.  For  six  hours  the  life  of  these 
children  is  an  artificial  one.  The  apparatus  which 
they  use  is,  as  a  rule,  artificial,  and  they  are  taught 
in  an  artificial  manner  about  artificial  things. 
Even  to  whisper  about  the  song  of  a  mocking-bird 
or  the  chirp  of  a  squirrel  in  a  near-by  tree,  or  to 
point  to  a  stalk  of  corn  or  a  wild  flower,  or  to  speak 
about  a  cow  and  her  calf,  or  a  little  colt  and  its 
mother  grazing  in  an  adjoining  field,  are  sins  for 
which  they  must  be  speedily  and  often  severely 
punished.  I  have  seen  teachers  keep  children 
caged  up  on  a  beautiful,  bright  day  in  June,  when 
all  Nature  was  at  her  best,  making  them  leam — or 
try  to  learn — a  lesson  about  hills,  or  mountains,  or 
lakes,  or  islands,  by  means  of  a  map  or  globe,  when 
the  land  surrounding  the  school-house  was  alive 


PLEASURE  AND  PROFIT  OF  WORK  159 

and  beautiful  with  the  images  of  these  things.  I 
have  seen  a  teacher  work  for  an  hour  with  children, 
trying  to  impress  upon  them  the  meaning  of  the 
words  lake,  island,  peninsula,  when  a  brook  not  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  away  would  have  afforded  the 
little  ones  an  opportunity  to  pull  off  their  shoes  and 
stockings  and  wade  through  the  water,  and  find,  not 
one  artificial  island  or  lake,  on  an  artificial  globe, 
but  dozens  of  real  islands,  peninsulas,  and  bays. 
Besides  the  delight  of  wading  through  the  water, 
and  of  being  out  in  the  pure  bracing  air,  they  would 
learn  by  this  method  more  about  these  natural 
divisions  of  the  earth  in  five  minutes  than  they 
could  learn  in  an  hour  in  books.  A  reading  lesson 
taught  out  on  the  green  grass  under  a  spreading  oak 
tree  is  a  lesson  needing  little  effort  to  hold  a  boy’s 
attention,  to  say  nothing  of  the  sense  of  delight  and 
relief  which  comes  to  the  teacher. 

I  have  seen  teachers  compel  students  to  puzzle 
for  hours  over  the  problem  of  the  working  of  the 
pulley,  when  not  a  block  from  the  school-house  were 
workmen  with  pulleys  in  actual  operation,  hoisting 
bricks  for  the  walls  of  a  new  building. 

I  believe  that  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when 
every  school  in  the  rural  districts  and  in  the  small 
towns  will  be  surrounded  by  a  garden,  and  that 
one  of  the  objects  of  the  course  of  study  will  be  to 
teach  the  child  something  about  real  country  life, 
and  about  country  occupations. 


i6o  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


I  am  glad  to  say  that  at  the  Tuskegee  Institute 
we  erected  a  school-house  in  and  about  which  the 
little  children  of  the  town  and  vicinity  are  given  a 
knowledge,  not  only  of  books,  but  of  the  real  things 
which  they  will  be  called  upon  to  use  in  their  homes. 
Since  Tuskegee  is  surrounded  by  people  who  earn 
their  living  by  agriculture,  we  have  near  this  school- 
house  three  acres  of  ground  on  which  the  children 
are  taught  to  cultivate  flowers,  shrubbery,  vegetables, 
grains,  cotton,  and  other  crops.  They  are  also 
taught  cooking,  laundering,  sewing,  sweeping,  and 
dusting,  how  to  set  a  table,  and  how  to  make  a 
bed — the  employments  of  their  daily  lives.  I  have 
referred  to  this  building  as  a  school-house,  but 
we  do  not  call  it  that,  because  the  name  is  too 
formal.  We  have  named  it  “  The  Children’s  House.” 
And  this  principle  holds  true,  for  children  of  a 
larger  growth,  and  is  especially  true  of  the  training 
of  the  Negro  minister  who  serves  the  people  of  the 
smaller  towns  and  country  districts. 

In  this,  as  in  too  many  other  educational  fields, 
the  Negro  minister  is  trained  to  meet  conditions 
which  exist  in  New  York  or  in  Chicago  in  a  word, 
it  is  too  often  taken  for  granted  that  there  is  no 
difference  between  the  work  to  be  done  by  Negro 
ministers  among  our  people  after  only  thirty-five 
years  of  freedom,  and  that  to  be  done  among  the 
white  people  who  have  had  the  advantages  of 
centuries  of  freedom  and  development. 


Courtesy  of  The  Outlook  Compan 

TEACH  THE  CHILD  SOMETHING  ABOUT  REAL  COUNTRY  LIFE 


PLEASURE  AND  PROFIT  OF  WORK  161 


The  Negro  ministers,  except  those  sent  to  the 
large  cities,  go  among  an  agricultural  people,  a 
people  who  lead  an  outdoor  life.  They  are  poor, 
without  homes  or  ownership  in  farms,  without 
proper  knowledge  of  agriculture.  They  are  able  to 
pay  their  minister  so  small  and  uncertain  a  salary 
that  he  can  not  live  on  it  honestly  and  pay  his 
bills  promptly. 

During  the  three  or  four  years  that  the  minister 
has  spent  in  the  theological  class  room,  scarcely  a 
single  subject  that  concerns  the  every-day  life  of 
his  future  people  has  been  discussed.  He  is  taught 
more  about  the  soil  of  the  valley  of  the  Nile,  or  of 
the  valley  of  the  river  Jordan,  than  about  the  soil 
of  the  State  in  which  the  people  of  his  church  are 
to  live  and  to  work. 

What  I  urge  is  that  the  Negro  minister  should  be 
taught  something  about  the  outdoor  life  of  the 
people  whom  he  is  to  lead.  More  than  that,  it 
would  help  the  problem  immensely  if  in  some  more 
practical  and  direct  manner  this  minister  could  be 
taught  to  get  the  larger  portion  of  his  own  living 
from  the  soil — to  love  outdoor  work,  and  to  make 
his  garden,  his  farm,  and  his  farm-house  object- 
lessons  for  his  people. 

The  Negro  minister  who  earns  a  large  part  of  his 
living  on  the  farm  is  independent,  and  can  reprove 
and  rebuke  the  people  when  they  do  wrong.  This 
is  not  true  of  him  who  is  wholly  dependent  upon 


162  working  with  the  hands 


his  congregation  for  his  bread.  What  is  equally 
important,  an  interest  in  agricultural  production 
and  a  love  for  work  tend  to  keep  a  minister  from 
that  idleness  which  may  prove  a  source  of  tempta¬ 
tion. 

At  least  once  a  week,  when  I  am  in  the  South,  I 
make  it  a  practice  to  spend  an  hour  or  more  among 
the  people  of  Tuskegee  and  vicinity — among  the 
merchants  and  farmers,  white  and  black.  In  these 
talks  with  the  real  people  I  can  get  at  the  actual 
needs  and  conditions  of  those  for  whom  our  institu¬ 
tion  is  at  work. 

When  talking  to  a  farmer,  I  feel  that  I  am 
talking  with  a  real  man  and  not  an  artificial  one 
one  who  can  keep  me  in  close  touch  with  the  real 
things.  From  a  simple,  honest  cultivator  of  the 
soil,  I  am  sure  of  getting  first-hand,  original  in¬ 
formation.  I  have  secured  more  useful  illustrations 
for  addresses  in  a  half-hour’s  talk  with  some  white 
or  coloured  farmer  than  from  hours  of  reading 
books. 

If  I  were  a  minister,  I  think  I  should  make  a 
point  of  spending  a  day  in  each  week  in  close,  un¬ 
conventional  touch  with  the  masses  of  the  people. 
A  vacation  employed  in  visiting  farmers,  it  seems 
to  me,  would  often  prepare  one  as  thoroughly  for 
his  winter’s  work  as  a  vacation  spent  in  visiting  the 
cities  of  Europe. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
On  the  Experimental  Farm 

The  purpose  most  eagerly  sought  by  the  Agri¬ 
cultural  Department  of  the  Tuskegee  Institute  is 
to  demonstrate  to  the  farmers  of  Alabama,  first  of 
all,  that  with  right  methods  their  acres  can  be 
made  to  yield  unfailing  profit,  and  that  they  can 
win  in  the  fight  against  the  deadly  mortgage  system. 
In  many  of  the  Western  and  Northwestern  States 
cheese-making  has  led  the  one-crop,  wheat-growing 
farmers  to  independence.  The  South  has  felt  that 
this  industry  was  beyond  its  reach,  and  has  set 
small  store  by  the  dairy  business.  At  Tuskegee, 
not  only  has  it  been  demonstrated  that  cows  can 
be  made  to  yield  from  50  to  150  per  cent,  on  the 
money  invested,  but  also  that  every  farmer  can, 
at  moderate  cost,  make  his  own  cheese,  with  a  good 
supply  for  the  market.  Not  long  ago,  the  graduate 
of  the  Institute  who  is  directly  in  charge  of  the 
cheese  and  butter  departments,  sent  to  my  home 
specimens  of  six  kinds  of  cheese  made  at  the  school 
— Tuskegee  Cream,  Philadelphia  Cream  Cheese, 
Neufchatel,  Cottage,  Club-house,  and  Cheddar. 
These  were  as  fine  grades  of  cheese  as  can  be  found 
in  any  other  creamery. 

163 


1 64  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

To  find  out  what  corn,  grasses,  pease,  millet,  etc., 
are  best  suited  to  the  Southern  climate  and  soil  is 
the  work  of  several  years  of  earnest  labour.  At 
present  experiments  are  in  progress  with  ten  varieties 
of  com,  with  vetch,  clovers,  cassava,  sugar  beet, 
Cuban  sugar  cane,  eight  kinds  of  millet,  the  Persian 
and  Arabian  beans,  and  many  other  food  and 
forage  plants.  Fifty-five  acres  of  peach  orchard 
are  sowed  in  pease,  besides  three  hundred  acres  of 
corn  land  utilised  for  this  second  or  auxiliary  crop. 
The  vegetable  garden  covers  fifty  acres,  and  there 
is  hardly  a  day  when  this  garden  fails  to  help  pay 
the  table  expenses  of  the  school. 

Stock  raising  is  carried  on  more  extensively  each 
year.  To  get  the  best  hog,  sheep,  cow,  and  horse 
for  this  region  of  the  country  is  the  chief  aim.  We 
cannot  quit  cotton,  but  we  must  raise  our  stock  and 
our  meat.  The  hen  and  the  bee  are  great  wealth- 
producers,  but  not  more  than  one  in  three  hundred 
Macon  County  families  raise  bees,  and  few  of  them 
give  any  special  care  to  poultry.  Therefore  the 
school  trustees  spend  a  large  sum  of  money  each 
year  in  teaching  the  practical  lessons  of  these 
industries. 

Statistical  data  show  that  the  average  yield  of 
cotton  per  acre  throughout  the  South  is  190  pounds, 
an  astonishingly  low  figure,  and,  except  when  high 
prices  rule,  below  the  paying  point.  Every  acre 
of  cotton  in  the  South  can  and  should  be  made  to 


CULTIVATING  A  PATCH  OF  CASSAVA  ON  THE  AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  PLOT 


THE  EXPERIMENTAL  FARM  165 

produce  500  pounds  of  lint.  Should  the  cotton 
grower  add  the  trifling  increase  of  five  pounds  of 
lint  an  acre,  it  would  mean  for  the  Cotton  States  a 
total  increase  of  240,000  bales,  based  on  the  crop 
reports  for  1902,  with  a  value  of  nearly  $15,000,000, 
according  to  the  prices  realised  on  the  crop  of  1903. 
The  experimental  station  at  Tuskegee  has  appre¬ 
ciated  the  tremendous  possibilities  pictured  by  such 
statements  as  these,  and  the  Director,  Mr.  Carver, 
has  demonstrated  the  value  of  scientific  cultivation, 
by  raising  nearly  500  pounds  of  cotton  on  one  acre 
of  poor  Alabama  land.  In  addition  he  has  taken 
up  the  problem  of  crossing  varieties  of  cotton  to 
increase  the  quality  of  the  uplands  staple.  These 
experiments  have  been  promisingly  successful,  and 
already  a  hybrid  cotton  has  been  grown  which  is 
vastly  superior  to  that  commonly  raised  in  Alabama. 
In  other  words,  Tuskegee  is  teaching  the  farmers 
how  to  raise  a  better  grade  of  cotton  and  more  of 
it,  without  increasing  the  acreage  planted. 

The  subject  of  soil  improvement  through  natural 
agencies  has  been  one  of  much  concern  to  both 
ancient  and  modern  agriculturists.  The  ancient 
Egyptian  knew  that  if  he  let  his  land  lie  idle 
“rested,”  as  he  termed  it— he  was  able  to  produce 
a  much  better  crop,  and  that  crop  would  be  in 
quantity  and  quality,  all  other  things  being  equal, 
proportionate  to  the  length  of  time  this  land  had 
been  rested. 


1 66  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


At  a  later  period  the  fertilising  value  of  the 
legumes  (pod-bearing  plants)  was  recognised.  But 
as  the  population  of  the  world  increased  and  civilisa¬ 
tion  advanced,  it  became  more  imperative  that  all 
farming  operations  should  be  more  intensive  and 
less  extensive.  Each  decade  saw  the  progressive 
farmer  on  his  journey  of  progress  correcting  many 
mistakes  of  the  past.  He  then  began  to  see  that  it 
was  quite  possible  and  practicable  to  keep  his 
ground  covered  with  some  crop ;  and  the  soil  also 
became  richer  and  more  fertile  every  year  by 
reason  of  this  constant  tillage — than  was  possible 
under  the  old  method  of  letting  the  land  lie  fallow 
for  a  few  years.  As  science  shed  light  upon  his  art, 
he  learned  that  the  crop-yielding  capacity  of  a  soil 
was  increased  by  rotating  or  changing  his  farm 
crops  every  year  upon  land  not  occupied  by  such 
crops  the  year  previous. 

For  seven  years  Tuskegee  has  made  the  subject  of 
crop  rotation  a  special  study,  and  submits  the  plan 
illustrated  by  the  accompanying  chart  as  the  most 
simple  and  satisfactory.  This  chart  and  data  were 
worked  out  by  the  Director  of  the  Agricultural  De¬ 
partment.  It  was  hoped  that  the  experiment  would 
shed  some  light  on  the  following  pertinent  questions: 

(a)  Is  it  possible  to  build  up  the  poor  upland 


soils  of  Alabama? 

(b)  Can  injurious  washing  away  of  the  soil  by 
rains  be  overcome? 


THE  EXPERIMENTAL  FARM 


167 


(c)  Are  not  the  fertilisers  necessary  for  the  pro¬ 
duction  of  a  crop  on  such  land  far  beyond  the  reach 
of  the  average  farmer? 

(d)  Granting  it  can  be  built  up  and  made  pro¬ 
ductive,  will  it  not  take  an  average  life-time  ? 


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(e)  Will  it  pay  to  purchase  such  land  ? 

(f)  State  the  smallest  amount  of  such  land  the 
farmer  should  buy  expecting  to  make  a  living  off  it. 

The  plan  for  rotation  as  outlined  is  for  a  farm  of 
forty  acres,  but  is  perfectly  applicable  to  one  of 


i68  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

any  size,  even  down  to  a  garden  patch.  In  order 
that  our  efforts  might  be  guided  with  the  greatest 
degree  of  intelligence,  the  soil  was  analysed  and 
found  to  be  seriously  deficient  in  three  very  im¬ 
portant  elements  of  plant  food,  and  in  the  order 

named:  Nitrogen,  phosphoric  acid  and  potash.  In 

addition  to  this,  it  was  practically  devoid  of  humus 
(vegetable  matter),  and  otherwise  was  in  as  bad  a 
physical  condition  as  chemical.  Our  first  efforts 
were  directed  toward  correcting  the  physical  con¬ 
dition  by  deep  plowing,  rebuilding  terraces  and 
filling  in  washes.  This  being  done,  we  are  now 
ready  to  make  definite  plans  for  planting  our  forty- 
acre  farm.  In  a  farm  this  size  we  find  it  is  wise 
to  set  aside  four  acres  to  be  used  as  indicated: 

(i)  One  acre  for  the  house,  lawn,  flower  garden, 
nut  and  ornamental  trees.  (2)  One  acre  for  the 
warden,  orchard  and  small  fruits.  Upon  this  all 
the  vegetables  of  various  kinds,  peaches,  pears, 
plums,  figs,  strawberries,  blackberries,  grapes,  etc 
should  be  raised,  not  simply  to  supply  the  needs  o 
the  family,  but  there  should  be  a  surplus  to  market. 
(,)  One  acre  for  the  bam,  poultry  house,  pigsties, 
and  other  necessary  out-buildings.  (4)  One  acre 
for  a  good  pasture  where  cows,  horses,  hogs,  and 
stock  of  various  kinds  might  be  turned  m  from 
time  to  time.  The  remaining  thirty-six  acres 

should  be  planted  as  follows: 

First  year,  sixteen  acres  of  cowpease,  eight  acres 


THE  EXPERIMENTAL  FARM 


169 


of  cotton,  two  acres  of  ribbon  cane,  three  acres  of 
com,  one  acre  of  sorghum,  one  acre  of  peanuts,  three 
acres  of  sweet  potatoes,  one  acre  of  teosinte  (a 
green  fodder  plant) ,  one  acre  of  pumpkins,  cushaws, 
squash,  etc. 

The  second  year  it  will  be  observed  that  the  peas 
change  places  with  the  cotton,  corn,  ribbon  cane, 
sorghum,  teosinte,  pumpkins  and  sweet  potatoes, 
except  in  a  few  instances — and  these  are  where  the 
soil  was:  (a)  Naturally  poor,  as  indicated  by  the 
acre  where  peanuts  and  cowpease  follow  each  other 
the  first  and  second  years  in  order  to  better  fit  the 
land  physically  and  chemically  to  produce  an 
exhaustive  crop  like  cotton;  (b)  Sweet  potatoes 
following  cotton  and  ribbon  cane.  Here  bottom 
land  is  represented,  and  is,  therefore,  quite  fertile. 
The  fertilisers  necessary  to  produce  a  good  crop  of 
sugar  cane  and  cotton  were  quite  sufficient  to  pro¬ 
duce  a  good  crop  of  potatoes  with  but  little  addi¬ 
tional  fertiliser,  (c)  In  this  we  have  a  different 
condition- — that  of  neglected  bottom  soil,  deficient 
mainly  in  nitrogen.  Here  the  pea  is  planted  the 
first  year  to  restore  the  nitrogen ;  and  this  is  followed 
by  teosinte  and  sorghum  in  one  instance  and  pump¬ 
kins  and  ribbon  cane  in  another ;  the  physical 
condition  of  the  soil  being  best  suited  to  these 
particular  crops.  With  the  few  exceptions  men¬ 
tioned,  the  third  year  is  identical  with  the  first. 

Such  a  system  of  rotation  has  enabled  us  in  seven 


l7o  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

years  to  make  a  net  profit  of  $96.-  from  one  acre  of 
this  land,  when  in  the  beginning  we  lost.  $2.40  per  acre 
In  1807,  cowpease  were  planted,  using  $5  wor  i 
kainite  and  acid  phosphate  per  acre— mixing  t  em 
together  and  putting  in  the  drill.  The  see  ’ 
ration  of  the  land,  planting,  harvesting  the  lig 
crop  of  vines,  etc.,  amounted  to  $6.50,  making  a 
total  of  *11.50.  The  crop  sold  for  *9-i°,  leavmS  us 
$2.40  behind. 

In  1898,  this  same  acre  was  plante  in 
potatoes  and  fertilised  with  $5  worth  of  finite  and 
acid  phosphate,  the  same  as  recommended  for  the 
nease  The  after-operation  cost  $6.  J 

bushels  of  marketable  potatoes  were  harvested  and 
sold  for  hoc  per  bushel,  equalling  *33.  and  leaving  a 

net  balance  of  $22  on  the  acre. 

In  1 899 ,  cowpease  were  again  planted  an  er 

exactly  the  same  as  in  x897.  The  “Jual' 
fifteen  bushels  of  pease,  at  55  cents  per  bushel,  equa  ¬ 
ling  *8.25  ;  also  one  and  one-half  tons  of  cured  y, 
worth  *22.50,  giving  a  total  of  *30.75.  Less  the 

cost — $n-5°  equals  $19.25  &am.  fertilised 

In  1900,  it  was  planted  m  sorghum  ca  , 
with  *5  worth  of  kainite  and  acid  phosphate^  plu 
fifteen  one-horse  wagon-loads  of  swamp  muck  an 
decayed  forest  leaves,  at  a  cost  of  *3-75.  P“f _ 
cost  of  harvesting,  etc.,  *4.25.  making  a  total  of  *13- 
Seven  tons  of  hay  were  harvested  and  sold  green  for 
$5  a  ton,  leaving  a  gain  of  $22. 


THE  EXPERIMENTAL  FARM 


171 

In  1901,  cowpease  were  planted  and  fertilised 
exactly  the  same  as  for  the  sorghum.  Twenty-five 
bushels  of  pease  were  harvested,  worth  $13.75 ;  two 
tons  of  cured  hay  worth  $28,  making  a  total  of 
$41.75  ;  less  the  cost,  equals  $28.75  gain. 

In  1902,  it  was  planted  in  garden  truck — cabbage, 
onions,  beets,  squash,  tomatoes,  melons,  beans, 
turnips,  mustard,  kale,  kohl  rabi,  rutabagas,  etc. 
Fertilised  the  same  as  for  sorghum  and  pease,  except 
half  of  the  swamp  muck  was  replaced  by  stable 
manure.  The  total  operations  cost  $21 ;  the  entire 
crop  sold  for  $60,  leaving  a  gain  of  $39. 

In  1903,  it  was  again  planted  in  cowpease.  Fer¬ 
tilised  the  same  as  for  the  garden.  Twenty-seven 
bushels  of  pease  were  harvested,  worth  $14.85,  and 
three  tons  of  cured  hay  worth  $43,  equalling  $56.85. 
Less  the  cost,  gives  us  a  gain  of  $43.85  per  acre. 

In  this  same  year,  a  portion  of  this  field,  subject  to 
the  same  rotation,  was  planted  in  white  potatoes, 
using  the  same  amount  of  muck,  kainite  and  phos¬ 
phate,  at  a  total  cost  of  $9.  Eighty  bushels  of 
potatoes  were  harvested  and  sold  for  $1  per  bushel, 
equalling  $80.  Before  the  potatoes  were  dug,  cow¬ 
pease  were  planted  between  the  rows  and  yielded 
$25.22  worth  of  peas  and  hay,  giving  a  clear  profit  of 
$96.22  per  acre. 

Another  acre  subjected  to  the  same  treatment  was 
planted  in  early  corn  and  followed  by  sweet  potatoes, 
at  a  cost  of  $16.  It  gave  a  crop  as  follows:  $44.60 


1 72  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

in  corn  and  fodder,  one  hundred  and  five  bushels 
of  marketable  potatoes,  and  $4-°5  worth  of  hay, 
making  in  all  $111.65.  Less  $16.90,  gives  a  profit 

of  $94-75- 

It  is  important  to  note  that  the  data  for  i9°3 
represent  only  one-half  of  the  crop,  as  the  land  is 
now  in  grain  and  will  be  harvested  in  time  for  the 
next  crop,  or  grazed,  which,  of  course,  will  give  a 
net  balance  according  to  the  yield  of  this  grain  or  its 
value  in  grazing.  We  think,  therefore,  that  the 
foregoing  facts  answer  quite  conclusively  all  the 
questions  in  the  affirmative,  and  that  it  is  wise  for 
the  Southern  farmer  to  purchase  a  home  even  of 


two  acres. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


The  Eagerness  for  Learning 

Necessity  compels  most  of  the  coloured  youth 
seeking  education  to  work  with  their  hands  and  pay 
as  they  go.  It  is  better  thus,  even  for  those  who  do 
not  expect  to  follow  trades.  I  do  not  believe  that 
any  young  man  who  has  worked  his  way  through 
Yale  or  Harvard  regrets  the  experience.  All  whom 
I  have  met  were  proud  of  the  achievement,  and  con¬ 
sidered  it  an  important  part  of  the  training  that  was 
to  make  them  useful  and  capable  men. 

Many  thousand  letters  of  application  for  admission 
to  the  Tuskegee  Institute  are  on  file  in  my  office. 
Their  general  trend  is  one  of  the  strongest  arguments 
for  the  gospel  of  hard  work  with  head  and  hands. 
These  young  men  and  women  from  nearly  every 
state  of  the  Union  and  many  foreign  countries  are 
writing  me  scores  of  letters  daily,  asking  for  a  chance 
to  get  an  education.  With  them  there  is  no  such 
thing  as  taking  it  for  granted  that  they  will  be  sent 
to  school  by  somebody  else.  They  have  felt  the 
force  of  newly  awakened  ambition,  and  lacking 
money  to  support  themselves  for  three,  four  or  five 
years  in  school,  are  eager  to  work  for  it.  If  their 

173 


i74  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

parents  share  this  ambition,  it  is  often  the  case  that 
prayers,  and  heartfelt  wishes,  and  hopes  are  all  they 
can  give  their  children  to  help  them  along  the  rough 
road  to  freedom. 

For  lack  of  room,  we  are  forced  to  refuse  each 
year  thousands  of  applicants,  earnest,  pleading  can¬ 
didates,  most  of  them,  who  are  willing  to  make  any 
sacrifices,  to  endure  any  burden  of  toil,  to  get  the 
training  that  is  to  help  them  and  enable  them  to 
help  others.  Merely  to  look  through  these  piles  of 
letters  as  they  have  accumulated  for  years  would 
require  many  days’  labour.  I  have  chosen  a  few  of 
them  at  random,  for  they  show  why  Tuskegee  stu¬ 
dents  are  in  earnest  from  the  beginning  of  their 
school  work  to  the  end,  and  why  they  go  out  to 
earn  a  living,  armed  with  sincerity  of  purpose. 

I  have  taken  the  liberty  of  making  them  easier  to 
read  by  correcting  the  crude  spelling  and  expression 
in  some  of  them. 

Here  is  one  in  which  the  writer  has  a  fondness  for 
imposing  words  without  quite  knowing  how  to 
handle  them: 

Dear  President:  I  that  delights  in  education  have  by  recom¬ 
mendation  conceived  an  idea  of  applying  to  your  worthy  school, 
if  possible,  for  education,  provided  I  am  qualified  to  enter. 
Believing  that  your  catalogue  will  give  me  a  thorough  under¬ 
standing  of  the  same,  I  will  hereby  [ask]  that  you  send  me  one 
of  your  complete  catalogues  that  I  may  prepare  to  enter  the 
ensueing  fall.  Now,  sir,  you  will  please  excuse  me  if  I  give  you 
knowledge  of  my  disposition.  I  am  full  of  delight  m  education. 
Therefore  I  will  try  to  be  one  of  the  most  pious  students  of  the 


THE  EAGERNESS  FOR  LEARNING  175 


time.  This  would  also  cause  me  to  be  grateful  for  the  privileges, 
especially  those  of  labour,  for  this  is  my  first  inquiry  whether  I 
might  remain  in  school  during  vacation  and  work.  In  fact,  I 
would  have,  please,  sir,  a  prompt  and  continual  job  in  school. 
Please,  sir,  to  interest  yourself  in  my  welfare  in  this  circumstance. 

Dear  Sir:  Wishing  to  enter  the  Tuskegee  Institute,  I  hereby 
write  you  for  information.  I  wish  to  enter  night  school  and 
work  in  the  day  as  an  apprentice  in  the  machine  department. 
My  parents  are  poor  and  not  able  so  assist  me  in  going  to  school, 
so  my  only  chance  is  to  work  my  way  if  there  be  any  chance  at 
all.  I  am  now  twenty-one  years  old.  I  am  working  with  my 
father  on  a  farm  where  I  have  been  working  ever  since  I  have 
been  large  enough.  I  have  been  going  so  school  some,  but  a  very 
little,  while  I  were  very  small,  and  I  had  not  been  in  several  years 

iint.il  this  Mr. - came  here,  and  now  I  am  working  every  day 

and  going  to  school  at  night.  I  am  proud  to  say  that  he  has 
done  me  good  two  ways  by  telling  me  of  the  chances  afforded 
in  the  Tuskegee  Institute  for  poor  boys  and  girls  to  educate 
themselves,  and  he  has  enthused  my  ambition  for  educating  and 
bettering  my  condition.  Please  send  me  a  catalogue  of  the 
school,  that  I  may  see  just  how  I  must  start  to  enter. 

Yours  truly,  desiring  an  education. 

Dear  Sir:  I  have  heard  so  much  and  read  so  much  of  your 
school,  until  I  am  craving  to  come  and  take  a  part  with  the  lead¬ 
ing  people  of  my  colour.  Mr.  Washington,  I’ve  heard  that  a 
poor  person  who  desires  to  make  a  mark  in  the  world  and  haven’t 
the  means,  you  would  take  them  and  let  them  work  the  first  year 
for  two  hours  lessons  at  night,  and  let  this  help  on  their  expenses 
for  the  next  year.  If  this  is  correct,  will  you  please  write  me  at 
once,  for  I  am  a  poor  girl,  and  is  so  very  anxious  to  learn  some 
good  trade,  also  have  good  learning  in  books,  and  I  am  too  poor 
to  go  to  school  and  pay.  So  if  you  will  let  me  in,  I  am  willing 
to  work  very  hard,  indeed  I  am.  Please  send  me  a  clear  under¬ 
standing  of  the  school,  for  I  am  anxious  to  be  a  great  woman. 
Please  write  me  at  an  early  date. 

Dear  Sir:  I  have  read  and  heard  a  great  deal  of  your  school, 
and  I  want  to  attend  it  this  summer.  I  would  like  to  know 


1 76  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


whether  I  could  work  all  of  my  way  or  not,  as  my  parents  is  not 
able  to  send  me,  and  I  want  to  go  to  school,  I  want  to  take  a 
special  course  in  sewing. 

Kind  Sir:  I  received  your  immediate  reply,  and  I  was  truly 
glad  to  hear  from  you,  and  to  receive  your  circular  of  information 
and  its  meanings.  But  there  is  a  few  questions  of  importance  I 
wish  to  ask.  Can  I  enter  the  night  school  at  once,  or  is  there 
any  limited  time  the  school  closes,  and  when  are  the  sessions? 
Now,  I  hope  I  can  enter  at  once,  and  stay  the  year  around,  or 
as  long  as  I  can  be  employed  at  the  place,  so  that  I  can  pay  my 
board  and  schooling,  as  I  have  no  parents  and  I  am  trying  to 
make  a  start  for  an  education.  I  am  a  member  of  the  church 
and  a  lover  of  the  Sunday  School,  also  I  feel  that  I  have  a  superior 
calling  from  on  high.  Therefore  I  wish  to  secure  even  a  good 
English  education.  May  God  provide  for  your  success  is  the 
prayer  of  your  humble  servant. 

Kind  Sir:  I  have  thought  to  write  you  since  your  lecture  up 
here  in  the  adjoining  county  last  fall.  Mr.  Washington,  I  have 
a  great  desire  for  an  education  and  it  seems  that  I  have  many 
besetments  in  life  that  prohibits  me  from  saving  just  the  amount 
of  money  that  I  need  to  educate  myself  as  I  desire  so  do,  and  I 
will  inquire  of  you  if  your  college  has  any  way  that  a  young  man 
could  work  his  tuition  out.  If  so,  please  let  me  know  just  what 
terms  I  could  enter  on,  as  I  have  fully  made  up  my  mind  to  try 
to  educate  myself,  provided  any  school  will  help  me  in  my  strug¬ 
gle.  I  see  the  need  of  an  education,  and  I  see  that  there  is  fields 
of  work  for  a  young  man  of  my  age.  Mr.  Washington,  if  you 
please,  give  me  a  chance  if  you  can,  I  am  willing  to  work  my  way 
through  at  any  position  you  would  put  me  at  to  pay  for  my  learn¬ 
ing.  I  am  not  too  proud  to  do  any  work  I  can  help  to  educate 
myself.  I  want  to  join  that  goodly  number  of  Negroes  that  is 
making  such  success  at  your  school.  Please  pardon  such  a  long 
letter.  Your  humble  questioner. 

Mr.  Washington:  I  would  be  more  than  glad  to  appreciate 
your  school,  inasmuch  as  to  come  down  and  attend  about  two 
terms,  if  you  are  not  filled.  I  am  not  able  to  pay  my  board  in 
money,  and  if  there  is  any  vacancy  in  your  school  where  I  can 


THE  TAILOR  SHOP 


THE  EAGERNESS  FOR  LEARNING  177 


work  and  pay,  I  would  be  more  than  glad.  Please  let  me  know 
immediately,  so  I  will  know  what  to  do.  Let  me  know  all  about 
your  charges  per  month.  Please  reply  at  once,  because  I  want 
to  come  as  early  as  possible. 

Dear  Sir:  I  received  your  kind  circulars  some  days  ago,  and  I 
was  more  than  glad  to  hear  as  I  did.  I  would  have  wrote  before 
now,  but  thinking  I  could  come  soon,  I  waited.  Though  times 
is  so  hard,  of  course  a  poor  boy  that  has  no  one  to  help  him  has  a 
hard  time,  but  by  the  help  of  the  Lord,  I  am  going  to  make  a 
man  of  myself.  I  want  to  come  as  soon  as  I  can.  I  am  going 
to  bring  every  one  that  will  come  with  me.  I  want  to  stay  there 
and  work  until  I  can  master  a  trade. 

Dear  Sir:  I  takes  great  pleasure  in  writing  to  you  a  few  lines, 
and  hopes  this  will  find  you  well.  I  want  to  complete  the  full 
course  of  education,  and  am  not  exactly  able  to  bear  my  expenses 
through.  I  would  like  to  know  whether  you  will  give  me  a 
position  to  work  to  pay  my  expenses  through.  If  you  will,  it 
will  be  a  great  favour  and  consolation  to  me.  Write  soon,  and 
let  me  hear  from  you,  and  please  send  me  full  particulars. 

Dear  Sir:  After  reading  and  hearing  so  much  talk  of  your 
school,  I  made  it  up  in  my  mind  that  I  would  like  to  attend  your 
school,  as  I  have  been  trying  to  get  an  education  for  the  last  two 
years.  I  attended  school  here  in  Texas  for  six  months  this  term, 
but  owing  to  my  money  running  short  I  had  to  quit  school  and 
go  to  work.  I  am  a  poor  boy,  and  I  desire  to  get  an  education. 
Do  you  think  that  you  could  give  me  work  to  pay  my  school  ? 
I  want  an  industrial  education,  and  am  not  able  to  pay  for  it, 
and  I  will  do  any  work  I  can  get  to  pay  for  my  lesson. 

“I  would  like  to  attend  your  school,  but  being  poor  I  can’t 
enter  as  a  day  student.  I  write  to  know  if  I  can  enter  as  a  work 
student.  I  would  like  to  enter  soon  enough  so  that  I  can  work 
during  the  summer  months.  Mr.  Washington,  I  am  anxious  to 
get  a  good  training.  Being  poor  and  fatherless,  I  have  had  few 
advantages,  and  that  is  why  I  have  applied  to  you  as  I  have.' 
If  you  will  or  will  not  receive  me,  please  let  me  know  as  soon  as 
possible,” 


1 78  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


“I  received  your  circular  and  was  carefully  reading  the  terms. 
There  is  some  few  more  hints  I  would  like  to  ask  you.  If  I 
arrive  there  with  forty  dollars,  could  I  attend  the  whole  nine 
months  of  a  school  year?  My  occupation  has  been  for  the  last 
four  years  cooking.  Before  then  it  was  farming,  but  I  can  do 
a  little  laundry  work  also.  In  these  four  years  I  have  attended 
school  two  terms  in  public  school.  I  am  very  anxious  for  an 
industrial  education,  so  therefore  I  desire  to  attend  your  school. 
The  industrial  studies  I  would  like  to  learn  are  carriage-trimming 
and  laundry  work.  My  studies  are  United  States  History ,  Arith¬ 
metic,  English,  and  Geography.  If  you  think  I  can  stay  the 
whole  term  on  forty  dollars  let  me  know,  and  I  will  be  there  in 
August.  I  am  twenty-two  years  of  age.” 

‘‘Please  let  me  know  whether  you  can  furnish  girls  work 
enough  to  support  them  in  school.  I  see  in  the  Voice  of  Missions 
where  you  will  give  ministers  work  to  support  themselves.  Is 
there  any  chance  for  a  girl  who  wants  an  education  ?  I  have 
read  of  your  school,  and  would  like  so  well  to  come  there,  but  I 
live  so  far  away,  until  I  would  not  be  able  to  pay  my  fare  from 
New  Orleans  and  then  pay  my  school  expenses.  Please  let  me 
know  the  cheapest  that  I  could  enter  school,  also  the  distance 
and  cost  from  New  Orleans.  I  would  like  to  enter  next  season 
without  fail.  Please  write  me  by  return  mail  without  fail.” 

Dear  Sir:  During  your  recent  lecturing  tour  you  stopped  here 
and  I  was  determined  to  hear  you,  and  when  I  heard  you  I  was 
fired  with  the  ambition  to  go  to  school.  I  tried  to  get  an  audience 
with  you,  but  owing  to  so  many  others  who  were  as  enthusiastic 
as  I,  I  could  only  speak  a  few  words  with  you.  Do  you  remem¬ 
ber  the  young  man  who  spoke  to  you  about  going  to  your  school  ? 
As  I  said  before,  I  did  not  have  time  to  explain  it  all  to  you.  I 
am  unable  to  pay  my  way  through  your  school,  but  I  am  more 
than  willing  to  work  my  way  through.  You  told  me  that  I  could 
when  I  spoke  to  you  about  it. 

Dear  Sir:  My  boy  ran  away  from  home  during  my  absence 
from  home  in  January.  After  he  was  gone,  I  learned  from  his 
associates  that  he  said  he  was  going  to  Tuskegee  to  school. 
Please  inform  me  whether  he  has  made  his  appearance  there  or 
not. 


THE  EAGERNESS  FOR  LEARNING  179 


Dear  Sir :  Do  you  think  it  best  for  me  to  enter  as  soon  as 
possible,  or  wait  until  the  next  term,  but  I  would  rather  enter 
as  soon  as  possible.  But  will  do  as  you  think  best.  I  have  a 
mother  and  grandmother  to  support,  and  if  I  can  get  an  educa¬ 
tion  I  know  that  I  will  be  better  fitted  to  support  them,  and  I 
am  sure  that  you  will  agree  with  me  in  the  matter.  And  if  you 
will  give  me  a  chance,  I  will  be  a  man  among  my  people  some 
day. 

Dear  Sir:  I  am  sorry  that  I  cannot  be  admitted.  In  case  of 
a  vacancy,  will  you  notify  me,  or  until  there  is  a  chance  could  I 
come  to  the  school  in  the  summer  ?  I  am  a  poor  girl.  If  I  can’t 
come  in  the  summer,  I  am  going  to  try  to  earn  enough  money 
to  come  and  stay  two  or  three  months  as  soon  as  you  will  let  me, 
even  if  there  is  no  room  to  live  at  the  school. 

‘  ‘  I  will  write  you  a  few  lines  to  ask  if  you  please  to  let  me  enter 
into  your  band  of  coloured  scholars.  That  is,  I  want  to  come 
to  your  school  in  the  daytime,  or  at  night  and  work  the  rest  of 
the  time.  If  there  is  any  way  fixed,  let  me  know  whether  my 
name  can  be  put  in  your  roll  book.  I  have  just  left  school  a  few 
days  ago,  and  I  want  to  get  in  as  soon  as  possible.  I  have  been 
striving  to  come  to  your  school  going  on  three  years,  and  at  last 
I  have  got  to  the  point  that  if  you  will  let  me  in  I  will  be  over 
there  the  first  day  of  March.  Please,  sir,  let  me  in,  if  there  is 
any  way  that  can  be  fixed  to  do  so.  I  would  be  one  of  the  hap¬ 
piest  boys  in  the  world  if  you  say  I  could  come.  Please  write 
me  word  just  as  soon  as  you  read  it.” 

Dear  Sir:  Having  just  read  again  a  short  biography  of  your 
life,  and  being  desirous  of  obtaining  a  better  education,  I  thought 
I  would  write  you  and  perhaps  gain  the  necessary  information. 
Last  year  I  completed  the  course  in  the  High  School  here. 
When  school  opened  in  September,  I  joined  the  Normal  Training 
Class  here  and  since  then  I  have  been  training  in  for  a  second  and 
third  grade  teacher.  I  have  had  about  eight  months  of  piano 
music  and  two  of  vocal,  and  one  school  year  in  the  elements  of 
elocution.  I  am  desirous  of  becoming  a  school  teacher,  and 
realise  how  necessary  it  is  to  have  a  better  education.  I  have 
no  support  but  an  aged  mother.  I  had  almost  given  up  hope, 


l8o  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

but  when  I  read  of  others  working  their  way  through  college,  I 
am  resolved  to  try.  Is  there  any  possible  way  of  earning  my 
schooling  at  Tuskegee  ?  I  thought  perhaps  I  could  teach  m  the 
primary  grades  a  part  of  the  day  to  pay  for  what  I  should  get. 
Or  perhaps  I  could  work  in  some  other  way.  I  am  willing  to  do 
any  honest  labour  to  get  an  education.  You  doubtless  get  let¬ 
ters  of  this  kind  daily,  but  I  only  ask  that  you  please  answer  and 
tell  me  if  there  is  any  chance  for  a  poor  girl  obtaining  knowledge. 
I  am  so  anxious  that  I  would  willingly  work  during  the  vacations 
and  holidays.  Please  answer  this,  and  if  I  cannot  gain  entrance 
at  Tuskegee,  perhaps  you  can  tell  me  of  some  school  where 
I  can  If  your  answer  is  favorable,  I  will  immediately  begin  to 
earn  money  to  pay  my  way  there,  for  those  of  us  who  are  in  the 
training  class  receive  no  salary. 


CHAPTER  XV 


The  Value  of  Small  Things 

A  lifetime  of  hard  work  has  shown  me  the  value 
of  little  things  of  every  day:  We  preach  them  at 
Tuskegee,  and  try  to  enforce  them  in  the  daily 
round  of  sixteen  hundred  students’  lives.  We  speak 
of  them  because  they  are  at  the  bottom  of  character¬ 
building,  and  because  no  person  can  go  on  year  by 
year  forgetting  them,  without  having  his  soul 
warped  and  made  small  and  weak.  We  want 
young  men  and  women  to  go  out,  not  as  slaves  of 
their  daily  routine,  but  masters  of  their  circum¬ 
stances.  But  the  structure  must  be  built  a  brick 
at  a  time,  and  no  act  is  without  its  influence.  I  am 
in  the  habit  of  talking  to  the  student  body  when  it 
is  assembled  in  the  chapel  for  the  first  time  after 
the  opening  of  the  school  year  with  a  good  deal  of 
practical  exhortation  about  the  “value  of  little 
things,”  unimportant  as  some  of  them  may  seem  to 
the  new-comers  at  Tuskegee.  They  are  told,  for 
example,  that  among  the  resolutions  which  each 
should  abide  by  through  the  term,  is  to  keep  in 
close  and  constant  touch  with  their  homes.  “You 
can  do  this,”  I  have  said,  “in  no  better  way  than 

181 


i82  working  with  the  hands 


by  forming  the  habit  of  writing  a  letter  home  once 
every  week.  I  fear  that  this  is  not  always  done. 

I  want  to  see  each  one  of  you  grow  into  the  habit  of 
writing  a  letter  to  your  parents  or  your  friends  at 
home,  as  often  as  you  can  find  the  time.  I  do  not 
mean  by  this  that  you  shall  get  a  little  piece  of 
waste  paper,  snatch  up  a  lead  pencil,  and  scribble  a 
hasty  note,  asking  them  to  send  you  some  money, 
or  to  send  you  a  dress,  or  a  hat.  I  mean  for  you  to 
select  a  time — the  Sabbath,  if  you  can  find  no  other 
time— and  sit  down  in  your  rooms,  or  go  to  the 
library,  take  plenty  of  time,  get  good  paper,  the 
best  ink,  and  write  your  mother  and  father,  your 
brothers  and  sisters,  a  good,  encouraging,  well- 
thought-out  letter.  It  will  pay  you  to  do  that, 
even  if  you  look  at  it  from  a  selfish  standpoint. 
Grow  into  the  habit  of  doing  that  every  week  while 
you  are  students  here. 

“  It  will  keep  you  in  touch  with  your  homes,  and 
it  always  pays  to  keep  under  the  home  influence,  no 
matter  how  humble  that  home  may  be,  no  matter 
how  much  poverty  there  may  be  about  it,  no  matter 
how  much  ignorance  there  may  be  in  it— it  always 
pays  to  keep  in  close  touch  with  your  homes.  I 
want  you  to  do  this,  not  only  for  your  own  sake, 
but  more  for  the  sake  of  your  parents,  for  the  sake 
of  those  who  are  trying  to  keep  you  at  this  institu¬ 
tion.  You  can  make  them  feel  your  appreciation 
in  no  better  way  than  by  writing  them  regularly  in 


THE  VALUE  OF  SMALL  THINGS  183 


the  manner  that  I  have  tried  to  urge  you  to  do.  It 
will  encourage  them.  It  will  make  them  feel  that 
it  pays  to  make  the  sacrifice  for  you.” 

These  practical  talks  on  the  value  of  small  things 
are  enforced  by  a  corp  of  inspectors,  whose  practised 
eyes  are  quick  to  detect  the  soiled  collar,  the  loose 
button,  the  unpolished  boot,  when  the  forces  as¬ 
semble  for  meals  and  for  chapel,  and  the  personal 
appearance  of  every  student  is  carefully  scrutinised. 
Nothing  is  more  humiliating  to  a  Tuskegee  boy  or 
girl  than  to  be  taken  out  of  line  as  the  body  marches 
out  of  chapel. 

It  requires  care  and  thought  to  make  a  hasty 
toilet  after  a  ten-hour  day  on  the  farm  or  in  the 
shops,  and  be  ready  for  supper  on  the  stroke  of  the 
bell.  And  a  student  late  to  meals  goes  without  that 
meal  unless  he  has  a  good  excuse.  But  out  of  such 
a  system  arises  a  pride  in  personal  appearance,  and 
a  spirit  of  self-respect  that  goes  far  toward  making 
useful  men  and  women.  It  must  be  remembered, 
too,  that  much  of  the  raw  material  which  is  taken 
in  hand  at  Tuskegee  has  not  had  the  advantages  of 
any  system  and  order  at  home,  even  in  the  primary 
qualities  of  personal  cleanliness  and  neatness. 

It  sounds  like  the  discipline  of  a  man-of-war  to 
say  that  one  loose  or  missing  button  on  the  clothing 
of  any  one  of  a  thousand  boys  is  almost  instantly 
noted  and  recorded,  but  the  students  themselves  are 
proud  of  the  fact  that  it  is  seldom  that  one  of  them 


1 84  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

must  be  called  out  of  line  by  an  inspector.  They 
have  responded  to  the  test  set  for  them,  and  they 
never  forget  it.  They  feel  a  personal  sorrow  that 
the  epithet  “ shiftless”  has  been  used  to  characterise 
their  race,  and  they  realise  that  it  must  be  lived 
down  in  small  things  as  well  as  great. 

There  is  a  student  police  force  at  Tuskegee,  the 
members  of  which  are  uniformed  and  allowed  to 
carry  policemen’s  short  clubs  on  their  night 
rounds.  A  visitor,  who  was  on  his  way  to  my  house, 
to  dine,  met  at  the  gate  a  young  man  in  uniform, 
apparently  on  guard,  who  saluted  with  his  raised 
stick.  My  guest  expressed  some  surprise,  saying: 

“  I  did  not  know  that  you  had  to  guard  against  the 
hostility  of  the  Southern  white  people  of  this  region. 
It  is  shocking  to  know  that  race  antagonism  can  be 
so  violent  and  unreasonable.” 

I  replied:  “I  have  no  better  friends  than  the 
white  people  of  Tuskegee,  and  there  is  no  need  for 
a  body  guard,  I  assure  you.  That  alarming  young 
man  was  simply  a  student  policeman  who  saluted 
you  as  he  is  required  to  do  all  teachers  and  visitors. 
He  is  allowed  to  carry  a  stick,  not  because  he  will 
ever  need  to  use  it,  but  because  it  is  a  badge  of  his 
authority,  an  emblem  of  the  responsibility  of  his 
position.  The  officers  of  our  cadet  corps  carry 
swords  for  the  same  reasons.” 

The  boy  policeman  and  his  club  typify  the  worth 
of  little  things,  indirectly  furnishing  a  help  toward 


THE  VALUE  OF  SMALL  THINGS  185 


the  complex  structure  of  character.  The  young 
man  in  uniform,  trudging  on  his  night  rounds  about 
the  school  grounds,  feels  himself  more  of  a  man  if 
he  is  equipped  for  a  man’s  work.  It  adds  to  his 
self-respect,  and  it  helps  him  to  feel  that  his  duty 
is  an  important  one. 

The  Savings  Bank  Department  of  the  school, 
which  is  part  of  the  regularly  authorised  banking 
department  of  the  institution,  has  been,  in  addition 
to  its  education  in  business  methods,  a  great  aid  in 
teaching  the  students  the  value  of  little  things. 
Early  in  the  present  year,  there  were  to  the  credit  of 
the  students  in  the  savings  fund  deposits  of  more 
than  $14,000.  This  was  largely  made  up  of  small 
accounts.  The  depositors  are  allowed  to  have  check¬ 
books,  and  to  draw  on  their  accounts  checks  in  as 
small  amounts  as  twenty-five  cents.  As  a  result  they 
do  not  carry  their  available  cash  around  in  their 
pockets,  but  hasten  to  the  bank  with  it,  and  settle 
nearly  all  transactions  among  themselves  by  check. 

This  impresses  on  their  minds  the  value  of  saving, 
for  the  bank  account  is  in  itself  a  strong  incentive. 
These  deposits  come  from  various  sources.  The 
work  done  by  the  students  in  the  various  industrial 
departments  is  not  paid  for  in  cash,  but  its  value 
is  credited  to  their  accounts  with  the  school  for  the 
board,  lodging,  laundry,  etc.,  furnished  them. 
Their  work  amounted  last  year  to  a  cash  value  of 
more  than  $90,000. 


j86  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

For  “ready  money,”  however,  they  must  depend 
on  what  they  receive  from  home,  which  is  a  small 
proportion  of  the  total  bank  deposits,  and  upon 
what  they  are  able  to  earn  out  of  working  hours. 
Many  of  them  act  as  agents  on  commission  for  mail¬ 
order  houses,  which  supply  clothing,  shoes,  under¬ 
wear,  and  a  variety  of  necessaries  and  a  few  luxuries. 
In  the  summer  a  large  number  of  young  men  go 
from  Tuskegee  to  work  in  the  Southern  States, 
many  of  them  in  the  Alabama  coal  fields,  to  earn 
money  to  pay  the  expenses  of  their  education 
through  the  next  school  year.  They  save,  these 
earnings  and  bring  them  back  to  deposit  in  the 
Institute  bank. 

But  these  savings  are  not  in  dollars  for  the  most 
part,  but  in  quarters,  dimes,  and  even  pennies. 
In  looking  over  the  books  of  the  bank  recently ,  the 
individual  ledger  accounts  attracted  my  notice. 
There  was  a  whole  page  given  the  account  of  one 
girl,  whose  individual  deposits  did  not  average  more 
than  ten  cents.  There  were  several  of  three  cents, 
and  one  of  two  cents.  It  seemed  to  me  that  this 
girl  student  was  worth  watching  in  after  life.  If 
she  was  willing  to  walk  across  the  grounds  and  back, 
a  round  trip  of  perhaps  half  a  mile,  from  her  dormi¬ 
tory  or  work-shop,  to  make  a  deposit  of  three  cents 
in  the  savings  bank,  and  to  continue  her  deposits, 
although  she  was  never  able  to  save  more  than  a 
few  cents  at  a  time,  she  was  fast  learning  the  value 


THE  VALUE  OF  SMALL  THINGS  187 


of  small  things,  and  was  already  far  along  the  path 
of  practical  usefulness. 

One  thousand  students  assemble  three  times  a 
day  in  the  main  dining-hall.  They  take  their  seats 
without  confusion  or  noise.  A  line  of  young  men 
and  women  face  each  other  at  each  table,  and  over 
them  presides  a  student  host  and  a  hostess.  The 
young  women  are  seated  first,  and  then  the  young 
men  march  in.  But  no  conversation  is  allowed  until 
all  are  seated,  and  until  after  a  simple  grace  is 
chanted  by  this  chorus  of  a  thousand  voices. 

The  meal  is  something  more  than  a  necessary 
consumption  of  food.  The  deference  which  a 
young  man  should  always  pay  to  woman  is  taught, 
without  demonstration,  by  the  manner  of  assembling. 
Self-restraint  is  taught  the  girls  by  waiting  five 
minutes  in  their  seats  before  they  begin  to  eat  and 
to  talk.  Their  meeting  at  table  inculcates  good 
manners.  The  boys  are  on  their  mettle  to  act  like 
gentlemen,  and  the  host  and  hostess  feel  a  personal 
responsibility  for  enforcing  the  little  details  of  cour¬ 
tesy  and  good  breeding. 

The  corps  of  teachers  assembles  for  meals  in 
another  dining-room.  They  are  not  needed  to 
preserve  order  or  enforce  discipline,  as  the  students 
have  that  matter  largely  in  their  own  hands.  In¬ 
spectors  see  that  their  clothes  have  been  brushed, 
their  feces  and  hands  cleaned  of  the  stains  of  the 
farrp.  arid  work  shops,  as  the  army  enters  the  dining- 


1 88  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

hall.  But  behaviour  takes  care  of  itself.  It  is  not 
long  since  I  read  of  riotous  scenes  in  the  “  commons  ” 
of  certain  Northern  universities,  in  which  students 
were  guilty  of  throwing  bread  and  crockery  around 
the  room.  This  has  never  happened  at  Tuskegee, 
and  this  kind  of  disorder  in  our  dining-hall  is  quite 
beyond  my  imagination. 

Once  in  a  while,  when  tired  of  office  work,  I  walk 
across  the  school  grounds  and  arop  into  one  of  the 
dormitories  to  talk  with  the  boys  or  girls  in  their 
rooms,  and  see  for  myself  how  they  are  living  and 
what  they  are  doing  to  make  their  rooms,  not  only 
spotlessly  neat,  but  livable  and  attractive.  Not 
long  ago  I  went  into  a  room  in  one  of  the  girls’  halls, 
which  was  clean  but  utterly  cheerless.  She  said  in 
explanation  that  she  had  been  told  that,  if  she 
could  not  keep  the  photographs  and  all  the  other 
bric-a-brac  that  finds  its  way  into  a  girl’s  room 
dustless  and  in  order, she  should  store  the  superfluous 
articles  away.  I  told  her  that  the  result  of  this 
misguided  endeavour  was  a  room  that  looked  as  much 
like  a  barn  as  if  did  a  home.  She  told  me  how  much 
she  had  spent  during  the  term  in  buying  chocolate 
to  make  “fudge.”  For  the  same  outlay  she  could 
have  had  pretty  framed  prints  on  her  walls,  and 
other  simple  adornment  in  good  taste  and  without 
“clutter.”  That  evening  I  said,  while  talking  to 
the  students  in  chapel : 

“I  was  in  the  rooms  of  several  girls  to-day, _  I 


THE  VALUE  OF  SMALL  THINGS  189 


had  been  in  these  rooms  before.  Some  of  the 
rooms  are  always  clean  and  attractive.  You  will 
find  a  number  of  little,  delicate,  home-like  touches 
about  them.  You  have  only  to  go  into  another  room, 
and  you  will  feel  as  if  you  wanted  to  go  out  as 
soon  as  possible.  This  latter  room  has  possibly 
two  or  three  girls  in  it,  and  they  are  always  full  of 
excuses,  always  explaining.  They  can  stand  for 
five,  ten,  fifteen  minutes,  and  reel  off  excuses  by  the 
yard.  Those  girls,  unless  they  change,  will  never 
get  ahead  very  far,  I  fear. 

“The  habit  of  making  excuses,  of  giving  explana¬ 
tions,  instead  of  achieving  results,  grows  from  year 
to  year  upon  one,  until  finally  it  gets  such  a  hold 
that  I  think  the  victim  finds  himself  almost  as  well 
satisfied  with  a  good,  long-drawn-out  excuse,  as  he 
does  with  real  tangible  achievement.  The  school¬ 
boy  and  girl  must  be  taught  such  lessons  in  every 
moment  of  routine  duty,  and  there  are  no  “little 
things,”  to  be  carelessly  overlooked,  without  danger 
that  repetition  will  breed  bad  habit.  The  student 
may  think  these  things  are  little,  but  permanent 
injury  to  character  is  the  price  paid  for  indifference 
and  carelessness.  The  price  is  paid  in  permanent 
injury,  to  character. 

‘  ‘  Every  dollar  received  at  Tuskegee  comes  through 
hard  work  on  the  part  of  some  one.  Every  dollar 
is  placed  with  us  because  the  donor  feels  that  perhaps 
it  will  accomplish  more  good  here  than  elsewhere. 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


190 

It  is  always  a  question  for  them  to  choose  between 
giving  a  dollar  here  or  to  some  other  institution. 
The  attitude  of  every  student,  if  he  wishes  to  be 
honest,  must  be  that  he  has  no  right  to  ask  persons 
to  support  the  school  if  a  dollar  goes  into  the  hands 
of  an  individual  who  is  not  doing  his  very  best  to 
earn  the  worth  of  it,  every  moment  of  every  day, 
from  rising  bell  to  “taps”  on  the  bugle  at  the  boy’s 
hall.” 

Looking  at  education  from  this  view-point,  every 
detail  of  the  work  and  administration  of  a  com¬ 
munity  of  sixteen  hundred  people,  with  their  great 
variety  of  activities,  becomes  vitally  important,  a 
part  toward  the  complete  whole. 

This  doctrine  of  “small  things”  finds  expression 
in  an  infinite  number  of  channels.  One  of  the 
despised  but  abundant  products  of  the  Southern 
farms  has  been  the  cowpea.  It  is  used  extensively 
as  a  fodder  plant,  and  as  a  fertiliser  by  plowing  it 
under.  The  cowpea  is  also  one  of  the  most  nu¬ 
tritious  of  foods,  when  properly  cooked,  but  while 
it  has  been  growing  at  their  doors  the  coloured 
people  have  neglected  it  as  a  part  of  their  diet. 
The  Tuskegee  agricultural  expert  investigated  the 
cowpea.  He  found  that  it  was  as  valuable  for  food 
as  the  far-famed  “Boston  bean,”  and  prepared  his 
table  of  analyses  to  prove  it.  Then  he  worked  out 
no  less  than  eighteen  different  appetising  recipes  for 
cooking  the  humble  cowpea,  and  made  practical 


THE  PAINT  SHOP 


THE  VALUE  OF  SMALL  THINGS  191 

demonstration,  in  a  booth  of  his  own  making,  during 
one  of  the  Negro  Conference  gatherings. 

These  recipes  he  had  printed  for  distribution  in  a 
neat  and  attractive  pamphlet,  and  in  this  way  he 
opened  in  defense  of  the  cowpea  a  successful 
crusade,  which  has  had  direct  results.  It  was  a 
small  thing,  but  it  was  not  too  small  to  be  overlooked 
in  the  effort  to  make  the  best  of  the  resources  close 
at  hand. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

Religious  Influences  at  Tuskegee 

In  the  rapid  growth  of  the  institution  along 
academic  and  industrial  lines,  the  spiritual  side  of 
the  school  has  not  been  neglected.  During  the  last 
fifteen  years  a  regularly  appointed  chaplain,  an 
ordained  evangelical  minister,  has  been  connected 
with  the  school,  which  is  non-denominational,  but 
by  no  means  non-religious.  It  has  much  of  the 
machinery  of  most  regularly  organised  churches, 
although,  for  good  reasons,  it  has  not  seemed  best, 
yet,  to  organise  a  church  in  connection  with  the 
institution.  It  has,  in  fact,  a  much  better  equipment 
than  most  churches  about  it,  both  as  to  its  house  of 
worship  and  auxiliary  services. 

First :  There  is,  each  Sunday,  a  regular  preaching 
service,  at  which  teachers  and  students  are  expected 
to  be  present. 

Second:  Every  Sunday  morning,  during  the 
months  of  school,  a  large  and  enthusiastic  Christian 
Endeavour  Society  meets  for  an  hour’s  appropriate 
exercises.  Teachers  and  students  alike  belong  to 
it,  serve  on  its  committees,  and,  in  many  ways,  are 
very  helpful  to  the  religious  side  of  the  school.  The 

192 


RELIGIOUS  INFLUENCES 


i93 


selections  of  scripture  read  or  repeated  and  com¬ 
mented  upon,  the  prayers  offered,  and  the  songs 
contributed  by  the  students,  show  that  they  are 
preparing  themselves  for  leadership  in  religion  as 
well  as  for  usefulness  in  shop  and  class  room  when 
they  leave  Tuskegee. 

Third :  The  students  are  divided  into  thirty-six 
Sunday-school  classes,  each  Sunday,  to  study  the 
international  lesson.  There  is  also  a  Junior  Sunday- 
school,  composed  of  the  children  of  teachers  and  of 
families  near  the  school. 

Fourth:  A  flourishing  organisation  of  the  Y.  M. 

C.  A.,  ably  officered  by  students,  makes  itself  felt 
for  good  both  among  the  young  men  students  as  well 
as  by  visits,  through  committees,  to  the  surrounding 
country,  each  Sunday,  to  look  after  sick  and  needy 
persons,  especially  the  aged  poor. 

Fifth:  The  young  women  students,  under  the 
leadership  of  lady  teachers,  sustain  three  societies 
among  themselves,  viz. :  The  One  Cent  Missionary 
Society,  the  oldest  in  the  institution.  It  is  auxiliary 
to  the  Woman’s  Home  Missionary  Association  of 
Boston,  to  which  it  sends  $5  annually.  The  Edna 

D.  Chaney  Missionary  Club  has  its  own  special 
work,  as  has  also  the  Y.  W.  C.  T.  U.  Recently, 
there  has  been  organised  a  Y.  W.  C.  A.  to  reach  a 
younger  class  of  girls.  Each  of  these  organisations 
has  proved  itself  a  potent  factor  for  good,  not  only 
in  the  school  and  its  immediate  environs,  but 


194 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


beyond;  for  it  is  the  policy  of  the  Tuskegee  Institute 
to  spread  its  various  influences  to  other  towns  and 
communities,  wherever  its  graduates  and  students 
find  work,  in  whatever  capacity. 

Sixth :  The  Humane  Society  has  done  much  to 
teach  the  students  the  proper  care  of  dumb  animals. 

Seventh:  The  Tuskegee  Women’s  Club,  a  branch 
of  the  National  Association  of  Coloured  Women, 
which  meets  twice  a  month  to  discuss  such  topics  as 
look  to  the  betterment  of  the  women  and  girls  of  the 
Negro  race  in  the  United  States.  Another  society, 
more  local,  is  called  Mothers’  Council.  Here  the 
married  women  meet  to  discuss  household  matters. 
One  of  the  members  of  this  body,  the  wife  of  an 
instructor,  though  herself  not  a  teacher,  has  for 
several  years  been  conducting  a  Sunday  afternoon 
meeting  for  neglected  children  in  one  of  the  tene¬ 
ment  sections  of  the  town  of  Tuskegee.  The  room 
in  which  the  meetings  are  held  is  rented  for  this 
purpose  by  the  students  of  the  Bible  School  and 
paid  for  out  of  their  weekly  contributions. 

Eighth:  Once,  daily,  at  evening  (Friday  and 
Saturday  excepted),  the  whole  school  assembles  in 
the  spacious  chapel  for  devotional  services,  led  by 
the  Principal  or  his  representative,  before  retiring. 

N inth :  Perhaps  the  most  helpful  religious  meeting 
of  all  is  the  Friday  evening  prayer-meeting,  where 
teachers  and  students  gather,  before  retiring,  as 
one  large  family,  for  informal  worship;  for  it  is  the 


RELIGIOUS  INFLUENCES 


i95 


most  home-like  of  all  the  services.  Any  one  is  at 
liberty  to  take  part,  without  restraint,  and  at  times 
so  much  interest  is  manifested  that  it  often  happens 
that  two  or  more  will  be  on  their  feet  at  the  same 
time  striving  to  get  a  hearing,  or  will  raise  hymns 
or  begin  to  pray,  or  speak  or  repeat  verses  of  Scripture 
at  the  same  time.  But  the  utmost  courtesy  and 
good  nature  prevail.  These  meetings  are  pro¬ 
ductive  of  much  good.  Many  of  the  students  date 
their  conversion  from  the  impulse  received  at  these 
Friday  evening  meetings. 

Tenth:  The  Week  of  Prayer  is  usually  observed 
for  two  weeks,  in  January,  every  year,  with  more 
or  less  spiritual  profit  to  the  whole  institution. 
The  outward  results  from  the  meetings  held  during 
the  present  year  are  the  hopeful  and  happy  conver¬ 
sions  of  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  students, 
from  all  classes,  post-graduates,  special  students, 
down  through  the  preparatory  grades.  The  most 
of  these  have  received,  and,  after  careful  and 
prayerful  consideration,  have  signed,  in  duplicate, 
the  following  pledge,  keeping  one  copy  and  returning 
the  other  to  the  Chaplain : 

MY  PLEDGE. 

I  thank  God  that  I  was  led  by  the  Spirit  to  accept  Christ.  I 
am  glad  I  am  a  Christian,  and  I  promise: 

1.  That,  as  soon  as  I  can,  I  will  join  the  church  of  my  choice, 
and  by  word  and  deed  help  to  build  up  the  kingdom  of  Christ 
on  earth. 

2.  That  I  will,  daily,  think  of,  or  read  some  portion  of  the 


196  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


Bible,  and  will  pray,  in  private  each  day  of  my  life,  closing  each 
prayer  with  this  verse: 

“Lord  Jesus,  I  long  to  be  perfectly  whole; 

I  want  Thee  forever  to  live  in  my  soul ; 

Break  down  every  idol,  cast  out  every  foe: 

Now  wash  me  and  I  shall  be  whiter  than  snow.” 

— Amen. 


Name 


P.  O.  address 


The  reclamation  of  many  backsliders  also,  as 
well  as  the  spiritual  awakening  of  the  teacher’s, 
many  of  whom  joined  heartily  in  the  work  of  soul- 
saving,  were  gratifying  and  encouraging  results. 

Eleventh:  Last,  but  not  least,  is  the  wholesome 
influence  the  Bible  Training  School  has  on  the 
entire  Institute. 

This  school  is  a  department  of  the  Normal  and 
Industrial  Institute.  It  was  founded  some  years 
ago  by  a  lady  living  in  New  York,  in  order  that 
poor  young  men  and  women  might  be  enabled,  on 
the  Tuskegee  plan,  to  fit  themselves  for  the  Christian 
ministry  and  other  active  religious  work. 

A  night  class  is  connected  with  the  Bible  School, 
to  reach  those  who  cannot  attend  during  the  day, 
but  who  are  desirous  of  knowing  more  about  the 
Bible.  The  members  of  this  class  are  the  farmers 
and  other  labouring  men  who  live  in  the  neigh¬ 
bourhood.  They  come  twice  a  week  for  an  hour 


RELIGIOUS  INFLUENCES 


197 


and  a  half,  some  of  them  walking  two,  three,  four, 
and  five  miles  each  way,  and  show  the  greatest 
interest  in  the  lessons.  Most  of  them  are  pastors 
and  members  of  churches  in  their  communities. 
The  students  of  the  Bible  School  are  expected  to 
spend  their  Sundays  in  religious  work  among  the 
churches  and  mission  stations  in  the  surrounding 
country.  Every  Sunday  morning  they  may  be 
seen,  in  groups  of  two  or  more,  starting  out,  after 
breakfast,  to  their  various  appointments,  reaching 
from  four  to  six  miles  into  the  country,  and  to  the 
jail  and  the  churches  in  the  town  of  Tuskegee.  If 
they  do  not  find  a  place  of  labour,  they  are  encour¬ 
aged  to  begin  in  new  fields,  and  to  reach  people 
who  might  otherwise  be  neglected.  Several  have 
started  missions,  and  two,  during  the  history  of  the 
Bible  School,  have  organised  and  built  churches, 
and  turned  them  over  to  their  respective  denomina¬ 
tional  connections.  The  Bible  students  are  required 
to  make  a  weekly  report  of  their  outside  work  on 
the  following  blank: 

WEEKLY  REPORT 

OP  THE 

Religious  Work  Done  in  Tuskegee  and  Vicinity, 

BY  STUDENTS  OF 

PHELPS  HALL  BIBLE  TRAINING  SCHOOL 

Work  done  for  the  week  ending  Sunday  night.  .......  ig 

1.  Name  of  student..... . Are  you  a  minister 

Licentiate  or  a  Layman  ? . 

2.  What  is  your  denomination?.  . . . 


198  working  with  the  hands 


3.  Where  do  you  labour? . (State  whether  in  a 

church,  jail,  or  almshouse,  etc.) . 

4.  Sermons,  Give: 

1st.  Number  preached . 

2nd.  Scriptures  read . 

3d.  The  text  to  each . 

4th.  The  subjects  to  each . 

5.  Number  of  adults  present? . 

1st.  Males . 

2nd.  Females . 

3rd.  Children . 

6.  Number  of  Sunday  Schools  attended? . 

Number  of  children  present . 

xst.  Males . 

2nd.  Females . 

3rd.  Adults . 

7.  Number  of  prayer  meetings  attended? . 

8.  Number  of  marriages  solemnised? . 

9.  Number  of  sick  visited  in  their  homes? . 

10.  Number  of  funerals  attended? . 

1 1 .  Number  who  have  secured  homes  through  your  advice  and 

help  during  the  past  week . 

12.  Does  your  S.  S.  use  Sunday  literature,  such  as  books,  quar¬ 
terlies,  S.  S.  papers,  etc.?  State  which . 

Sign  here.  (Name) . 

(Home  P.  O.  address) . 

HET*  Please  answer  EVERY  question,  and  return  to  E.  J.  Penny. 


A  volunteer  prayer  meeting  is  held  daily,  just 
after  breakfast,  in  the  Bible  School  building,  under 
the  guidance  of  the  Bible  students.  This  meeting 
is  well  attended  by  young  men  of  all  the  classes, 
who  take  turns  in  leading  the  services. 

Any  one  passing  this  building  at  that  hour  will 
hear  songs  of  praise  and  earnest  voices  in  prayer 
to  God.  All  these  societies,  at  Christmas  and 


RELIGIOUS  INFLUENCES 


199 


Thanksgiving,  unite  in  taking  food  and  other  com¬ 
forts  to  the  deserving  poor  and  helpless. 

All  the  young  men  and  boys  at  Tuskegee  are 
assigned  to  groups  numbering  twelve  to  fifteen, 
each  group  in  charge  of  a  teacher.  There  are 
eighty  of  these  small  companies  formed  that  the 
boys  may  become  better  acquainted  with  one 
another,  and  grow  in  a  spirit  of  mutual  helpfulness. 
Every  boy  feels  that  he  can  go  to  the  teacher  who 
is  in  charge  of  his  social  unit  for  advice  and  com¬ 
fort.  This  feature  of  the  school  life  is  under  the 
general  direction  of  the  Chaplain,  and  has  done 
much  to  make  the  students  feel  at  home.  Disci¬ 
pline  has  been  more  satisfactory  since  the  plan  was 
adopted.  The  young  women  students  are  organ¬ 
ised  in  other  ways  to  meet  their  own  social  and 
religious  needs,  and  to  bring  them  into  personal 
relations  with  their  teachers. 

All  these  forces  are  working  more  and  more  for 
good,  and  the  School  is  in  an  encouraging  and 
healthy  religious  condition. 


CHAPTER  XVII 
Some  Tangible  Results 

Since  the  founding  of  the  Tuskegee  Normal  and 
Industrial  Institute,  in  1881,  the  total  enrollment  of 
young  men  and  women  who  have  remained  long 
enough  to  be  helped,  in  any  degree,  is  about  six  thou¬ 
sand.  From  the  beginning,  the  school  has  sought  to 
find  out  the  chief  occupations  by  which  our  people 
earn  their  living,  and  to  train  men  and  women  to  be 
of  service  in  these  callings.  Those  who  go  out  follow 
the  industries  they  have  learned,  or  teach  m  public 
or  private  schools,  teaching  part  of  the  year  and 
farming  or  labouring  the  remainder  of  their  time. 
Some  follow  house-keeping  or  other  domestic  service, 
while  others  enter  professions,  the  Government  ser¬ 
vice,  or  become  merchants.  Many  of  the  teachers 
give  instruction  in  agriculture,  or  in  the  industries. 
The  professional  men  are  largely  physicians  and  the 
professional  women  are  mostly  trained  nurses. 

After  diligent  investigation  I  have  been  unable  to 
find  a  dozen  former  students  in  idleness.  They  are 
busy  in  schoolroom,  field,  shop,  home  or  church. 
They  are  busy  because  they  have  placed  themselves 
in  demand  by  learning  to  do  that  which  the  world 

200 


SOME  TANGIBLE  RESULTS 


201 


wants  done,  and  because  they  have  learned  the  dis¬ 
grace  of  idleness,  and  the  sweetness  of  labour.  One 
of  the  greatest  embarrassments  which  confronts  our 
school  at  the  present  time  is  our  inability  to  supply 
any  large  proportion  of  the  demands  for  our  students 
that  are  coming  to  us  constantly  from  the  people 
of  both  races,  North  and  South.  But,  apart  from 
their  skill  and  training,  that  which  has  made  Tus- 
kegee  men  and  women  succeed  is  their  spirit  of 
unselfishness  and  their  willingness  to  sacrifice  them¬ 
selves  for  others.  In  many  cases  while  building 
up  a  struggling  school  in  a  community,  they  have 
worked  for  months  without  any  fixed  salary  or 
promise  of  salary,  because  they  have  learned  that 
helping  some  one  else  is  the  secret  of  happiness. 
Because  of  the  demand  for  men  and  women  trained 
at  Tuskegee,  it  is  difficult  to  keep  a  large  proportion 
of  the  students  in  the  school  until  they  graduate. 
It  is,  therefore,  not  so  easy  to  show  the  results  of  the 
work  in  concrete  form  as  it  would  be  if  a  larger 
number  of  the  students  finished.  But  the  facts 
obtainable  prove  that  the  school  is  achieving  its 
purpose  in  preparing  its  students  to  do  what  the 
world  wants  done. 

Some  years  ago  a  young  man  named  Williams 
came  to  Tuskegee  from  Mobile,  Alabama.  Before 
coming,  he  had  nearly  completed  the  public-school 
course  of  study  at  Mobile,  and  had  been  earning 
about  fifty  cents  a  day  at  various  kinds  of  unskilled 


202 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


labour.  He  wished  to  study  further  in  the 
academic  branches,  with  the  object  of  combining 
this  knowledge  with  the  trade  of  brick-masonry. 
To  take  the  full  course  in  brick-masonry,  including 
mechanical  drawing,  he  should  have  remained  three 
years.  He  remained  for  six  months  only.  During 
this  time,  he  got  some  rough  knowledge  of  brick- 
masonry  and  advanced  somewhat  in  his  academic 
studies.  When  he  returned  to  Mobile,  it  soon 
became  known  that  he  had  been  working  at  brick- 
masonry.  At  once  he  was  dubbed  a  full-fledged 
mason.  As  there  was  unusual  building  activity  in 
Mobile  at  that  time,  he  found  himself  in  great 
demand,  and,  instead  of  having  to  seek  odd  jobs,  he 
soon  saw  that,  in  spite  of  his  rather  crude  knowl¬ 
edge  of  the  trade,  he  could  earn  one  dollar  and 
fifty  cents  per  day,  and  have  more  work  offered 
him  than  he  could  do.  When  the  three  months’ 
vacation  expired,  Williams  debated  whether  he 
ought  to  return  to  Tuskegee  to  finish  his  course  or 
remain  at  home  and  try  to  purchase  a  home  for  his 
widowed  mother.  Hence,  seeing  an  opportunity  to 
make  two  dollars  a  day  at  his  trade,  he  decided  not 
to  return.  As  in  hundreds  of  other  cases,  the  Mobile 
man  had  unusual  natural  ability,  and  was  able  to  get 
out  of  his  six  months  at  Tuskegee  a  mental,  spirit¬ 
ual,  and  bodily  awakening  which  fixed  his  purpose 
in  life.  Not  only  this,  but  he  had  made  such  a  start 
in  his  trade  that  by  close  study  and  observation  he 


SOME  TANGIBLE  RESULTS 


203 


was  able  to  improve  from  month  to  month  in  the 
quantity  and  quality  of  his  work,  and  within  a  few 
months  he  ceased  to  work  for  other  people  by  the 
day  and  began  to  make  small  contracts.  At  the 
present  time,  Mr.  Williams  is  one  of  the  most  sub¬ 
stantial  coloured  citizens  of  Mobile.  He  owns  his 
home  and  is  a  reliable  and  successful  contractor, 
doing  important  work  for  both  races.  In  addition 
to  being  a  successful  brick-mason  and  contractor, 
he  owns  and  operates  a  dairy  business,  and  his 
class  of  patronage  is  not  limited  by  any  means  to 
members  of  the  Negro  race. 

The  value,  then,  of  the  work  of  schools,  where 
the  trade  or  economic  element  enters  in  so  largely 
as  it  does  at  Tuskegee,  cannot  be  judged  in  any 
large  degree  by  the  number  of  students  who  finish 
the  full  course  and  receive  diplomas.  What  is  true 
of  the  course  in  brick-masonry  is  true  in  larger  or 
smaller  measure  of  all  the  other  thirty-seven  indus¬ 
trial  divisions  of  the  school. 

Another  example:  Crawford  D.  Menafee  came  to 
Tuskegee  about  1890,  and  began  taking  the  agricul¬ 
tural  and  academic  courses.  He  was  older  than  the 
average  student,  and  entered  one  of  the  lower  classes. 
Because  he  had  no  money  to  pay  any  part  of  his 
expenses,  he  was  given  permission  to  enter  the  night 
school,  which  meant  that  he  was  to  work  on  the  farm 
ten  hours  a  day,  receiving,  meanwhile,  lessons  in  the 
principles  of  farming  and  devoting  two  hours  at 


204 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


night  to  the  academic  branches.  He  was  never 
classed  as  a  very  bright  student,  and  in  the  purely 
literary  studies  made  such  slow  progress,  after 
repeating  several  classes,  that  he  left  two  years 
before  completing  either  the  agricultural  or  the 
academic  course.  It  was  noted,  however,  that, 
notwithstanding  inability  to  grasp  theoretical  work, 
he  manifested  unusual  enthusiasm  and  showed 
special  ability  in  practical  farm  work.  His  ability 
was  so  marked  that  he  was  asked  to  take  a  place  of 
responsibility  as  assistant  to  one  of  the  school’s 
farm  managers.  It  soon  became  evident  that  he 
possessed  extraordinary  executive  ability.  He  read 
constantly  everything  of  value  which  he  could  secure 
upon  agriculture,  and  soon  began  to  show  signs  of 
considerable  intellectual  growth  and  the  possession 
of  a  rarely  systematic  mind.  Mr.  Menafee  was  soon 
promoted  to  a  higher  position  at  Tuskegee. 

A  few  years  later,  there  came  a  call  for  some  one  to 
introduce  theoretical  and  practical  agriculture  into 
the  State  Normal  College  for  coloured  people  at 
Tallahassee,  Florida.  Mr.  Menafee  was  recom¬ 
mended.  The  students  had  no  wish  to  learn  agri¬ 
culture.  They  were  opposed  to  it  in  any  form.  By 
tact  and  patience,  Mr.  Menafee  gradually  won  the 
students  and  made  them  see  the  importance  of 
intelligent  cultivation  of  the  soil.  Mr.  Menafee  has 
now  been  in  charge  of  the  agricultural  department 
of  the  Florida  school  for  three  years,  and  has  made 


SOME  TANGIBLE  RESULTS 


205 


the  study  of  theoretical  and  practical  farming  so 
effective  that  it  is  now  one  of  the  most  popular 
branches  in  the  school.  Not  only  do  the  young 
men  cultivate  a  large  acreage  each  year,  but  a  num¬ 
ber  of  girls  also  receive  instruction  in  gardening, 
dairying,  and  poultry  raising.  In  a  word,  the  whole 
attitude  of  the  school  toward  agriculture  has  been 
revolutionised,  and  the  department  has  been  placed 
upon  an  effective  and  practical  foundation. 

There  are  hundreds  of  cases  similar  to  those  of  Mr. 
Menafee  and  the  Mobile  brick-mason.  These  repre¬ 
sent  a  class  of  students  who  have  absorbed  the  spirit 
of  the  school  as  well  as  its  methods,  and  who  are 
doing  far-reaching  service,  although  they  are  not 
enrolled  on  our  list  of  graduates.  We  have  tried  to 
give  special  attention  to  all  forms  of  agricultural 
training  at  Tuskegee,  because  we  believe  that  the 
Negro,  like  any  other  race  in  a  similar  stage  of 
development,  is  better  off  when  owning  and  culti¬ 
vating  the  soil. 

As  I  have  explained  elsewhere,  the  results  of 
our  agricultural  work  in  the  past  have  not  been 
as  manifest  as  they  will  be  in  the  future,  for 
the  Institute  has  been  compelled  to  give  fore¬ 
most  place  to  the  building  trades  in  order  to  get 
under  shelter.  The  task  of  erecting  nearly  seventy 
buildings,  in  which  to  house  about  seventeen  hun¬ 
dred  people,  has  not  been  easy  And  yet  what  are 
some  of  the  results  of  our  lessons  in  farming?  Not 


206  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


long  ago  I  drove  through  a  section  of  Macon  County, 
Alabama.  My  drive  extended  a  distance  of  per¬ 
haps  eight  miles,  and  during  this  time  I  passed 
through  or  near  the  farms  of  A.  H.  Adams,  Thomas 
Courrier,  Frank  McCay,  Nathaniel  Harris,  Thomas 
Anderson,  John  Smith,  and  Dennis  Upshaw.  These 
seven  men  had  attended  the  Tuskegee  Institute  for 
longer  or  shorter  periods,  and  each  had  already  paid 
for  his  farm  or  was  buying  it.  All  of  these  men  had 
studied  in  the  Phelps  Hall  Bible  Training  School  in 
the  morning,  and  had  taken  the  agricultural  course 
in  the  afternoon.  When  I  visited  their  farms,  I  saw 
them  actually  at  work,  and  it  was  most  encouraging 
and  interesting  to  note  the  air  of  cleanliness  and 
system  about  their  farms  and  homes.  In  every 
case  they  were  not  confining  themselves  to  the  rais¬ 
ing  of  cotton,  but  had  learned  to  diversify  their  crops. 
All  were  active  in  church  and  Sunday-school  work, 
and  were  using  their  influence  to  get  others  to  buy 
homes.  The  most  prosperous  farmer  among  them 
was  Mr.  Upshaw.  He  began  farming  with  prac¬ 
tically  nothing.  At  present  he  owns  one  hundred 
and  fifteen  acres  of  land,  which  is  cultivated  by  him¬ 
self  and  family.  On  this  land  is  a  neat,  attractive 
house,  a  barn  and  outbuildings,  and  a  small  sugar 
house  for  boiling  syrup  from  the  cane  which  he  raises 
for  his  own  use.  His  home  and  farm  are  models  for 
other  farmers.  He  raises  not  only  cotton,  but  corn 
and  oats,  vegetables,  fruit,  live  stock,  and  fowls. 


SOME  TANGIBLE  RESULTS 


207 


He  has  an  unusually  fine  peach  orchard.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Upshaw  are  leaders  in  the  County  Farmers’ 
Institute.  Mrs.  Upshaw  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Mothers’  Meeting,  which  assembles  regularly  in  the 
town  of  Tuskegee.  While  Mr.  Upshaw’s  present 
house  is  better  than  the  average  farmhouse  in  that 
section,  when  I  last  visited  this  farm,  I  found  lum¬ 
ber  on  the  ground  to  be  used  in  erecting  a  new  and 
larger  house.  Hundreds  of  such  examples  could 
be  cited. 

I  have  given  these  seven  examples  because  people 
who  know  absolutely  nothing  about  the  subject 
often  make  the  statement  that  when  a  Negro  gets 
any  degree  of  education  he  will  not  work — especially 
as  a  farmer.  As  a  rule,  people  who  make  these 
sweeping  assertions  against  the  Negro  are  blinded 
by  prejudice.  The  judgment  of  any  man,  black  or 
white,  who  is  controlled  by  race  prejudice  is  not  to 
be  trusted.  With  one  exception,  I  did  not  know 
of  the  farming  operations  of  these  men  before  the 
drive  referred  to ;  but  I  was  not  at  all  surprised  at 
what  I  saw,  because  my  years  of  experience  have 
brought  me  into  unbroken  contact  with  Tuskegee 
men  and  women  all  over  the  South,  and  wherever  I 
have  met  them  I  have  found  that  they  had  in  some 
degree  raised  the  level  of  life  about  them. 

Another  branch  of  Agriculture,  to  which  we  have 
for  a  number  of  years  given  special  attention,  is 
dairying.  The  demand  from  Southern  white  people 


208  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


for  trained  dairymen  is  much  greater  than  we  have 
been  able  to  supply. 

In  1898,  L.  A.  Smith  finished  the  course  of  train¬ 
ing  in  dairying  and  in  the  academic  branches.  He 
had  been  able  to  complete  his  course  only  by  working 
during  the  day  and  attending  school  at  night  during 
the  greater  part  of  his  time  here.  Soon  after  Smith 
graduated,  we  had  a  call  for  a  well-trained  dairyman 
from  the  Forest  City  Creamery  Company,  Rockford, 
Illinois.  Smith  was  recommended.  He  has  been 
holding  an  important  position  in  the  creamery  for 
five  years,  and  has  several  times  been  promoted  with 
an  increase  of  salary.  Smith  has  paid  for  a  neat 
and  comfortable  home,  and  he  has  the  confidence 
and  respect  of  the  entire  community.  He  looked 
so  young  and  inexperienced  in  taking  up  his  work 
that  his  ability  was  doubted,  but  it  did  not  take  him 
long  to  prove  that  he  was  fully  equal  to  the  occasion. 
The  proprietor  unhesitatingly  said  that  he  was  one 
of  the  most  proficient  and  valuable  men  in  his 
employ,  and  that  he  had  placed  him  in  a  veiy  impor¬ 
tant  and  trying  position — that  of  making  butter 
cultures.  This  is  a  secret  department  in  which  no 
one  except  the  employees  operating  it  and  the 
proprietor  is  permitted  to  enter.  Mr.  Smith  also 
did  some  important  chemical  work  in  connection 
with  a  lawsuit  supposed  to  involve  the  manufacture 
of  spurious  butter. 

In  Montgomery  County,  Alabama,  Mr.  N.  N. 


SOME  TANGIBLE  RESULTS 


209 


Scott,  a  Southern  white  man,  has  operated  for  a 
number  of  years  the  largest  and  most  successful 
dairy  farm  in  his  section.  Mr.  Scott  has  in  his 
employ  three  Tuskegee  men,  with  Scott  Thomas  in 
charge.  Mr.  Scott  tells  us  that  those  men  trained 
at  our  school  are  the  most  efficient  helpers  he  can 
secure.  He  keeps  a  standing  order  with  Mr.  George 
W.  Carver,  our  instructor  in  dairying,  to  the  effect 
that  he  will  employ  any  one  that  Mr.  Carver  recom¬ 
mends.  Not  far  from  Mr.  Scott’s  dairy  is  a  smaller 
one  owned  by  Mr.  E.  J.  Hughes,  another  white  man. 
Some  time  ago  Mr.  Hughes  secured  Luther  M.  Jones, 
who  had  taken  only  a  partial  course  in  dairying  at 
Tuskegee,  to  make  butter  and  cheese  for  him.  Such 
examples  can  be  found  in  nearly  every  one  of  the 
Southern  States. 

From  the  beginning,  the  work  of  this  institution 
has  been  closely  related  to  the  public  school  system 
of  the  South,  for  it  must  be  clear  to  all  that  in  the 
last  analysis  we  must  depend  upon  public  schools 
for  the  general  education  of  the  masses,  and  it  is 
important  that  the  larger  institutions  for  the  edu¬ 
cation  of  the  Negro  keep  in  close  and  sympathetic 
touch  with  the  school  officials  of  the  Southern  States. 

One  way  in  which  we  assist  the  public  school  sys¬ 
tem  of  the  South  is  by  sending  out  men  and  women 
who  become  the  teachers  of  teachers.  One  of  the 
best  examples  of  this  is  the  case  of  Isaac  Fisher,  a 
young  man  who  came  to  Tuskegee  a  number  of  years 


2  10 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


ago,  and  earned  his  board  by  working  during  the 
day  and  going  to  school  at  night.  Two  years  ago 
Mr.  Fisher,  upon  my  recommendation,  was  elected 
by  the  State  officials  of  the  State  of  Arkansas  to  the 
important  position  of  Principal  of  the  Branch  Nor¬ 
mal  College  of  Pine  Bluff,  Arkansas,  the  main  insti¬ 
tution  for  training  coloured  teachers  for  the  public 
schools  of  that  commonwealth.  Mr.  Fisher  has 
associated  with  him  a  large  force  of  teachers,  two  of 
whom  also  are  Tuskegee  graduates.  In  the  school 
are  students  many  of  whom  will  become  not  only 
public-school  teachers  in  the  usual  sense,  but  having 
been  trained  by  Mr.  Fisher  in  the  industries,  they 
will  be  able  to  introduce  them  gradually  into  their 
teaching.  There  is  hardly  a  single  Southern  State 
where  our  men  and  women  are  not  found  in  some  of 
the  larger  schools  for  training  teachers. 

Our  students  at  Tuskegee  are  instructed  con¬ 
stantly  in  methods  of  building  schoolhouses  and 
prolonging  the  school  term.  It  is  safe  to  say  that 
outside  the  larger  Southern  cities  and  towns  in  the 
rural  district,  one  will  find  nine-tenths  of  the  school 
buildings  wholly  unfit  for  use,  and  rarely  is  the  pub¬ 
lic  school  session  longer  than  five  months  in  most 
cases  not  more  than  four.  These  conditions  exist 
largely  because  of  the  poverty  of  the  States.  One 
of  the  problems  of  our  teachers  is  to  show  the  people 
how  through  private  effort  they  can  build  school- 
houses  and  extend  the  school  term. 


SOME  TANGIBLE  RESULTS 


2  1 1 


Milton  Calloway  left  Tuskegee  three  years  ago. 
In  addition  to  taking  the  normal  course,  he  learned 
the  trade  of  tinsmithing.  When  he  returned  to  his 
home  at  Union  Spring,  Bullock  County,  Alabama, 
he  secured  a  school  some  distance  in  the  country. 
The  term  was  so  short  that  Calloway  found  he  could 
not  live  all  the  year  by  teaching  during  the  three  or 
four  months  of  the  session.  Calloway’s  trade  came 
to  his  rescue.  Soon  after  he  began  teaching,  he  made 
an  arrangement  with  a  white  man  in  the  town  by 
which  he  was  to  work  in  his  shop  on  Saturdays  and 
during  his  vacation  months.  By  following  this  plan, 
the  school  is  gradually  being  built  up,  the  people  are 
being  taught  to  save  their  money,  improve  the  school- 
house,  prolong  the  school  term,  and  buy  homes. 

Moses  P.  Simmons,  another  one  of  our  graduates 
in  an  adjoining  county,  has  lengthened  the  term  of 
the  public  school  by  teaching  the  children  how  to 
grow  vegetables,  which  have  been  disposed  of  for 
school  purposes. 

During  the  latest  session  of  our  Negro  Conference 
in  February,  one  delegate  from  Conecuh  County, 
Alabama,  told  how  his  people  had  nearly  doubled  the 
length  of  the  school  term  by  each  family’s  agreeing 
to  plant  an  extra  half-acre  which  was  designated 
as  the  “school  half -acre.”  A  number  of  Tuskegee 
men  and  women  have  put  on  foot  some  such  scheme 
as  this. 

I  asked  one  of  the  officials  of  the  Tuskegee  Insti- 


212 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


tute  to  canvass  our  nearest  large  city,  Montgomery, 
Alabama,  in  order  to  obtain  the  name  of  every  stu¬ 
dent  there  who  had  received  a  diploma  or  certificate 
from  Tuskegee,  or  who  had  remained  long  enough  to 
be  in  any  degree  influenced  by  its  teaching,  and  to 
report  to  me  exactly  what  he  found  after  making  a 
personal  inspection.  Here  are  a  few  of  his  reports: 

“Perry,  J.  W.,  class  of  1889,  lives  near  the  city. 
Is  farming.  He  controls  150  acres,  owns  five  head 
of  cattle,  and  teaches  school  six  months  in  the  year. 

“Davis,  Joseph,  who  has  been  away  from  Tus¬ 
kegee  three  years,  I  found  at  work  on  a  four-story 
building  in  process  of  erection  on  Commerce  Street. 
He  was  getting  $2.50  a  day.  At  work  on  the  same 
job  were  William  Fuller  at  $3.60  a  day,  and  H.  T. 
Wheat  at  $2.50.  Last  summer  Fuller  received  $4 
a  day  for  four  months,  at  Troy,  Alabama. 

“Moten,  Pierce,  is  at  work  as  drug  clerk  in  the 
drug  store  of  D.  A.  C.  Dungee,  at  the  corner  of  Court 
and  Washington  Streets.  He  graduated  from  Tus¬ 
kegee  in  1902.  While  at  the  school  he  worked  in 
the  hospital,  and  much  of  that  time  had  charge  of 
the  drug  room.  He  is  studying  medicine,  and  has 
already  spent  a  session  at  Meharry  Medical  College, 
Nashville,  Tennessee. 

“Campbell,  Mrs.  Berry  N.  (Miss  Bowen),  gradu¬ 
ated  in  the  class  of  1887,  and  her  home  has  been  in 
Montgomery  most  of  the  time  since  then,  although 
her  work  at  times  takes  her  away  from  the  city.  She 


SOME  TANGIBLE  RESULTS 


213 


is  a  trained  nurse  of  excellent  reputation  and  wide 
experience,  and  has  frequently  been  employed  at 
Hale’s  Infirmary.  When  I  inquired  for  her  she  was 
taking  care  of  a  private  case.  She  owns  two  good 
houses  on  Union  Street  and  on  High  Street,  both  of 
which  I  saw.  She  also  owns  a  vacant  lot.” 

There  were  only  three  whose  records  were  found 
to  be  uncertain  or  unsatisfactory.  The  same  kind 
of  investigation  will  reveal  almost  similar  conditions 
existing  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  in  other  Southern 
cities. 

Now  let  me  show  their  life  in  smaller  towns:  one 
containing  between  four  and  five  thousand  inhabi¬ 
tants.  Some  time  ago  Mr.  Bedford,  one  of  our 
trustees,  made  a  personal  investigation  in  Eufaula, 
Alabama.  I  quote  directly  from  Mr.  Bedford  as  to 
what  he  found: 

“Sydney  Murphy  graduated  in  1887.  He  went 
at  once  to  Eufaula.  For  three  years  he  taught 
and  farmed  in  the  country.  He  was  then  made 
principal  of  the  coloured  public  schools  of  the  city. 
He  still  holds  this  position,  and  is  now  serving  his 
thirteenth  year.  He  has  a  nice  home  in  the  city, 
three  houses  that  he  rents,  and  some  vacant  lots. 

“John  Jordan,  1901,  a  graduate  in  harness¬ 
making,  opened  a  shop  in  Eufaula,  September,  1901. 
He  reached  Eufaula  with  $16  and  a  very  few  tools. 
He  paid  $7  license,  $3.50  in  advance  for  a  month’s 
rent,  and  had  $5.50  for  board  and  other  expenses. 


2  14  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

He  curtained  off  a  little  space  in  his  shop  for  a  bed¬ 
room,  and  with  an  oilstove  cooked  his  own  meals. 
In  this  way  he  saved  up  $50,  but  lost  it  in  the  failure 
of  the  bank  of  Eufaula.  He  has  gone  right  on  with 
his  business,  and  now  has  one  of  the  best  shops  in 
the  city.  He  has  established  the  People’s  Library, 
which  has  more  than  600  volumes  in  it.  He  has  a 
reading-room  and  literary  society  over  which  he 
presides,  and  is  superintendent  of  the  A.  M.  E. 
Sunday-school.” 

After  several  years  at  the  school,  during  which 
they  worked  upon  the  school  farm,  Frank  and 
Dow  L.  Reid  left  Tuskegee  at  the  completion  of 
the  B  Middle  Class.  Frank,  the  older  brother,  left 
in  the  year  1888,  and  Dow  in  the  year  1891.  Before 
coming  to  Tuskegee,  these  young  men  had  lived 
upon  a  rented  farm  with  their  father,  but  on  re¬ 
turning  home  they  decided  to  buy  a  farm  of  theii 
own.  They  entered  into  an  agreement  to  purchase 
a  farm  of  320  acres,  four  miles  from  the  old  home¬ 
stead,  and  with  little  or  no  money,  but  with  a 
determination  to  succeed,  they  began  to  cultivate 
the  land.  They  agreed  to  pay  $5-5°  Per  acre  ^or 
the  place,  and,  regardless  of  the  fact  that  they  had 
little  money  at  the  time,  they  bought  the  farm, 
paying  in  a  few  years  the  whole  amount,  $1,760. 
In  addition  to  this  farm,  the  Reid  brothers,  as  they 
are  styled  for  miles  around,  have  bought  another 
farm  of  225  acres  at  $10  per  acre.  This  farm  is 


SOME  TANGIBLE  RESULTS 


215 


about  two  miles  away  from  the  place  first  mentioned. 
When  the  final  payment  upon  this  last  purchase  is 
made  in  the  fall,  after  crops  have  been  gathered 
and  marketed,  a  total  of  $4,010  will  have  been 
made  and  expended  for  land  by  these  young  men 
since  the  younger  one  left  Tuskegee  some  twelve 
years  ago. 

The  stock  and  farming  implements  on  these 
farms  are  far  superior  to  those  seen  upon  most  of 
the  plantations.  On  the  farm  of  320  acres  are 
i  seventeen  fine  horses  and  mules,  all  large  and  in 
good  condition;  there  are  thirty  well-bred  cows  and 
fifty  fine,  healthy  looking  hogs,  besides  a  large 
number  of  chickens  and  guineas,  which  furnish 
plenty  of  eggs  for  the  families’  use.  The  farming 
implements,  including  plows,  mowers,  rakes,  harrows, 
etc.,  are  of  the  latest  patterns.  The  four  double 
wagons,  the  single  top-buggy,  the  road  wagon  and 
go-cart  are  all  in  good  order,  and  are  kept  under 
cover  when  not  in  use.  We  often  find  farmers  in 
the  South  who,  when  the  crop  is  made,  leave  the 
plows,  the  mower,  the  rake,  in  fact,  all  the  farming 
implements,  standing  out  in  the  field,  exposed  to 
wind  and  weather  all  through  the  winter  months. 
A  visitor  to  the  Reid  brothers’  plantation  will  find 
that  each  piece  of  machinery  on  this  plantation  has 
a  place  under  a  shed  built  for  the  purpose,  and  is 
kept  there  when  not  in  use. 

There  are  eight  dwelling-houses — a  four-room 


2i6  working  with  the  hands 


frame  building  in  which  the  young  men  and  their 
families  live,  and  seven  log  cabins  in  which  the 
farmhands  live  with  their  families.  The  first  is 
rather  old  and  uncomely  in  appearance  from  the 
outside,  but  the  interior  is  more  pleasing.  The  bed¬ 
rooms  are  large  and  clean,  with  sufficient  windows 
and  doors  to  permit  of  necessary  ventilation  during 
the  sleeping  hours.  The  dining-room  is  well  kept, 
and  the  whole  interior  of  the  house  presents  a  neat, 
clean  and  attractive  appearance.  This  house  is 
to  be  replaced  by  a  larger  one,  to  be  built  during 
the  winter. 

A  large  cotton-gin,  with  an  eighty-tooth  saw,  is 
owned  and  operated  by  these  young  men.  Last 
year,  besides  ginning  the  125  bales  of  cotton  raised 
upon  their  own  plantation,  they  ginned  the  cotton 
raised  by  nearly  all  the  other  farmers  in  the  neigh¬ 
bourhood. 

The  post-office  at  Dawkins  was  formerly  about 
four  miles  from  its  present  location,  but  since  the 
Reid  brothers  settled  there  and  the  community 
grew  so  rapidly  the  post-office  was  removed  to  their 
place,  and  the  plantation  was  named  Dawkins.  The 
post-office  is  located  in  the  general  merchandise 
store  of  the  Reids,  and  Mr.  Frank  Reid  is  post¬ 
master.  There  was  neither  a  church  nor  a  school- 
house  in  the  community  when  these  young  men 
went  to  Dawkins.  They  purchased  four  acres  of 
land  nearby,  and  not  only  gave  this  land,  but  assisted 


SOME  TANGIBLE  RESULTS 


217 


in  building  a  comfortable  church,  which  has  been 
used  both  as  a  church  and  a  schoolhouse.  Preaching 
services  are  held  regularly  in  the  church,  and  a 
flourishing  school  is  taught  from  seven  to  nine 
months  each  year.  Last  year  more  than  one  hundred 
boys  and  girls  were  registered. 

Mr.  J.  N.  Calloway,  who  graduated  from  the 
Tuskegee  Institute  in  1892,  is  principal  of  the  school, 
and  has  one  assistant  teacher.  A  new  two-room 
schoolhouse  is  now  being  built  through  the  efforts 
of  Mr.  Calloway,  and  will  be  completed  at  the  time 
of  the  opening  of  the  school  the  latter  part  of  next 
October. 

I  am  often  asked  to  what  extent  we  are  able  to 
supply  domestic  servants  directly  from  this  insti¬ 
tution.  I  always  answer,  “Not  to  any  large  extent, 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  women  are  trained 
here  in  everything  relating  to  work  in  the  home.” 
When  a  woman  finishes  one  of  our  courses,  she  is  in 
demand  at  once  at  a  salary  three  or  four  times  as 
large  as  that  paid  in  the  average  home.  Aside  from 
this,  we  are  doing  a  larger  service  by  sending  out 
over  a  large  extent  of  territory  strong  leaders  who 
will  go  into  local  communities  and  teach  the  lessons 
of  home-making  than  we  could  by  trying  to  send  a 
cook  directly  into  each  family  who  applies  to  us. 
The  latter  would  be  a  never-ending  process.  Miss 
Annie  Canty,  for  example,  teaches  cooking  and  other 
industries  in  the  public  schools  of  Columbus,  Georgia. 


2i8  working  with  the  hands 


There  is  a  little  leaven  that  we  hope  will  gradually 
help  leaven  the  whole  lump.  Largely  through  the 
influence  of  our  graduates,  cooking  and  other  indus¬ 
tries  are  being  taught  in  many  of  the  public  schools 
of  the  South.  Another  young  woman,  Miss  Mary 
L.  McCrary,  is  doing  the  same  thing  in  the  Industrial 
College  for  coloured  people  in  Oklahoma. 

Not  a  few  of  our  men  have  become  merchants, 
and  they  are  generally  patronised  by  both  races  and 
have  high  commercial  rating.  Two  of  the  best 
examples  of  this  class  are  Mr.  A.  J.  Wilborn,  who  is 
a  successful  merchant  in  the  town  of  Tuskegee,  and 
Mr.  A.  J.  Wood,  of  Benton,  Alabama. 

Last  January,  when  in  Los  Angeles,  California,  I 
met  by  chance  a  young  man  who  had  taken  a  partial 
course  in  our  nurse-training  department.  I  asked 
him  if  he  were  reflecting  credit  upon  the  Tuskegee 
Institute  ?  Without  a  word,  he  pulled  out  a  bank¬ 
book  and  asked  me  to  inspect  it.  I  found  a  sub¬ 
stantial  sum  recorded  to  his  credit.  Before  I  was 
through  with  the  inspection  of  the  first  bank-book, 
he  handed  me  a  second  which  showed  an  amount  to 
his  credit  at  another  bank.  I  found  that  Mrs.  Barre, 
another  of  our  graduates,  is  one  of  the  leading  trained 
nurses  of  the  same  city. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 


Spreading  the  Tuskegee  Spirit 

One  of  the  questions  most  frequently  asked  me 
is,  To  what  extent  are  Tuskegee  graduates  able  to 
reproduce  the  work  of  the  parent  institution?  Just 
as  the  Tuskegee  Institute  is  an  outgrowth  of  the 
Hampton  Institute,  so  other  smaller  schools  have 
grown  out  of  the  Tuskegee  Institute  in  various 
parts  of  the  country.  There  are  at  present  sixteen 
schools  of  some  size  which  have  grown  out  of  the 
Tuskegee  Institute  or  have  been  organised  by  Tus¬ 
kegee  men  and  women.  In  all  instances,  these 
schools  have  become  large  enough  to  be  chartered 
under  the  laws  of  the  State. 

The  Vorhees  Industrial  School  at  Denmark,  South 
Carolina,  for  example,  was  founded  by  Elizabeth 
E.  Wright,  class  of  1894.  It  is  now  in  its  seventh 
year.  Miss  Wright  was  greatly  opposed  at  first  by 
both  the  white  and  coloured  people,  but  she  per¬ 
severed,  and  has  at  length  overcome  all  opposition. 
She  has  300  acres  of  land,  all  paid  for.  A  large  central 
building  has  been  erected  at  a  cost  of  $3,000.  This 
contains  offices,  class  rooms,  and  a  chapel  that  will 
seat  600.  This  building  is  paid  for,  and  a  girls’  dor- 

219 


220 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


mitory,  to  cost  $4,000,  the  money  for  which  is  in 
the  treasury,  is  in  process  of  erection.  The  plans 
for  both  of  these  buildings  were  drawn  by  a  Tus- 
kegee  student.  A  barn  to  cost  $800  is  nearly  com¬ 
pleted,  and  there  are  several  other  small  buildings. 
Miss  Wright  is  assisted  by  three  Tuskegee  graduates, 
one  as  the  farm  superintendent,  one  as  treasurer  and 
bookkeeper,  and  the  other  as  carpenter  and  teacher 
of  drawing.  The  day  and  boarding  students  num¬ 
ber  more  than  300.  Farming  in  its  various  branches 
is  the  principal  work  of  the  students,  but  they  are 
also  taught  shoemaking,  carpentry,  cooking,  sewing, 
housekeeping,  and  laundering,  while  printing  and 
blacksmithing  are  soon  to  be  added  to  the  course. 
The  school  spent  $9,000  last  year  in  current  expenses, 
building  expenses,  and  the  purchase  of  land. 

Another  of  our  graduates,  Mr.  V.  Chambliss,  has 
charge  of  the  farming  operations  of  the  Southern 
Land  Improvement  Company.  About  forty  Negro 
families  have  settled  upon  land  controlled  by  this 
organisation,  and  the  number  is  increasing  each  year. 
These  families  are  being  given  the  opportunity  to  buy 
their  homes  through  their  own  labour  and  under  the 
guidance  of  Mr.  Chambliss.  Mr.  Chambliss  does 
not  use  the  hoe  himself,  for  he  finds  it  more  econo¬ 
mical  to  utilise  his  time  directing  the  work.  When 
the  world  wants  cotton  or  corn,  it  cares  little  whether 
the  man  uses  his  pen  or  his  hoe.  What  it  desires  are 
results.  Some  men  have  the  ability  to  produce  fifty 


SPREADING  THE  TUSKEGEE  SPIRIT  221 


times  as  much  cotton  with  the  pen  as  with  the  hoe. 
Another  example  will  show  how  our  students  succeed 
when  working  directly  under  others.  The  letter 
which  follows  is  to  the  point : 


Professor  Booker  T.  Washington. 

Dear  Sir:  The  students  from  your  school  who  have  been  at 
work  here  during  the  vacation  expect  to  return  to  Tuskegee 
to-morrow,  and  we  want  to  say  to  you  that  these  boys  have 
demonstrated  to  our  company  the  wonderful  benefit  of  your 
teaching.  These  young  men  have  taken  hold  of  their  work  in 
a  steady  and  businesslike  way,  and  have  worked  uncomplain¬ 
ingly  during  the  severe  heat  of  the  past  summer.  We  would 
like,  if  it  is  possible,  to  induce  a  number  of  your  students  to  pur¬ 
chase  their  homes  about  our  works  in  North  Birmingham  and 
become  regular  workmen  in  our  different  shops.  We  have  a 
letter  before  us  now,  written  by  one  of  your  students,  John 
Davis,  which  would  reflect  credit  on  the  masters  of  Yale  or 
Harvard.  Please  accept  our  best  wishes  for  the  success  of  the 
grand  work  you  have  undertaken. 

Dimmick  Pipe  Works  Company, 

Birmingham,  Alabama. 


A  conspicuous  example  of  a  Tuskegee  graduate 
who  is  using  his  knowledge  of  stock-raising  in  a  prac¬ 
tical  way  is  that  of  William  Johnson  Shoals,  of  Clear 
Creek, 'Indian  Territory.  Shoals  owns  and  operates 
his  own  stock  farm,  one  of  the  largest  in  the  Terri¬ 
tory,  and  has  been  successful  from  the  very  begin¬ 
ning. 

The  following  letter  indicates  one  of  the  ways  in 
which  we  are  able  to  assist  the  public-school  system 
from  time  to  time : 


222 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


Ethelville,  Alabama,  June,  1903. 
Professor  B.  T.  Washington. 

I  am  very  anxious  to  afford  the  coloured  teachers  of  this  coun¬ 
ty  the  best  instruction  possible,  and  so  I  write  to  ask  if  you 
cannot  send  us  one  of  your  teachers  to  conduct  a  Normal  Insti¬ 
tute,  to  be  held  at  Carrollton,  June  29th  to  July  4th — a  teacher 
whom  you  can  recommend.  I  am  sorry  to  say  the  county  has 
no  money  it  can  spend  on  this  matter. 

Yours  truly, 

W.  H.  Storey, 

County  Superintendent  of  Education. 

The  following  institutions  have  grown  out  of  the 
Tuskegee  Institute  and  have  been  chartered  under 
the  laws  of  their  respective  States.  Not  only  have 
they  been  founded  by  Tuskegee  graduates,  but  the 
officers  and  in  many  cases  the  entire  faculty  are 
from  Tuskegee: 

Mt.  Meigs  Institute,  Waugh,  Alabama;  Snow  Hill 
Institute,  Snow  Hill,  Alabama;  Vorhees  Industrial 
School,  Denmark,  South  Carolina;  East  Tennessee 
Normal  and  Industrial  Institute,  Harriman,  Ten¬ 
nessee;  Robert  Hungerford  Industrial  Institute, 
Eatonville,  Florida ;  Topeka  Educational  and  Indus¬ 
trial  Institute,  Topeka,  Kansas;  Allengreene  Normal 
and  Industrial  Institute,  Ruston,  Louisiana;  Utica 
Normal  and  Industrial  Institute,  Mississippi;  Chris- 
tianburg  Institute,  Cambria,  Virginia. 

The  story  of  struggle,  sacrifice  and  hard  work 
connected  with  the  founding  of  some  of  these  schools 
is  more  akin  to  romance  than  to  reality. 

Snow  Hill  Institute,  Snow  Hill,  Alabama,  by  way 


A  FURNITURE  AND  REPAIR  SHOP  AT  SNOW  HILL 


SPREADING  THE  TUSKEGEE  SPIRIT  223 


of  illustration,  was  founded  by  William  J.  Edwards, 
of  the  class  of  1893.  This  school  is  now  in  its  tenth 
year,  and  was  started  in  a  one-room  cabin.  Soon 
after  the  school  was  established,  Honourable  R.  O. 
Simpson,  a  wealthy  white  resident  of  the  community, 
was  so  impressed  with  its  good  effect  upon  the 
Negroes  of  the  vicinity  that  he  gave  the  school  forty 
acres  of  land.  This  has  been  added  to,  until  the 
school  now  owns  160  acres,  and  property  to  the 
value  of  $30,000. 

Last  year  it  expended  $20,000  in  its  operations. 
It  has  about  400  students,  200  of  them  being  board¬ 
ing  students.  The  following  trades  are  taught: 
Farming,  carpentry,  wheelwrighting,  blacksmithing, 
painting,  brickmaking,  printing,  sewing,  cooking, 
housekeeping.  About  twenty  teachers  and  instruc¬ 
tors  are  employed,  nearly  all  graduates  or  former  stu¬ 
dents  of  Tuskegee.  Snow  Hill  has  sent  out  twenty- 
five  graduates.  All  are  required  to  pass  the  State 
teachers’  examination  before  graduating.  Six  of 
them  are  teachers  in  the  Institute.  The  school  not 
only  has  the  support  and  the  sympathy  of  Mr.  R.  O. 
Simpson,  but  of  all  the  best  white  people  in  the 
county. 

A  little  more  than  a  year  ago  one  of  our  graduates, 
Mr.  Charles  P.  Adams,  established  a  small  school  at 
Ruston,  Louisiana.  At  present  the  school  owns 
twenty-five  acres  of  land,  on  which  a  schoolhouse 
costing  $1,200  has  been  built  and  paid  for.  The  school 


224 


WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


term  has  been  extended  from  three  to  eight  months, 
with  three  teachers — all  Tuskegee  graduates— and 
iio  pupils.  In  connection  with  the  class-room  work 
the  students  are  taught  agriculture  and  housekeep¬ 
ing.  All  this  has  been  done  in  a  little  more  than  one 
year  with  money  and  labour  contributed  by  the  peo¬ 
ple  of  both  races  in  the  community.  In  regard  to 
Mr.  Adams’s  work,  Honourable  B.  F.  Thompson,  the 
Mayor  of  Ruston,  says,  “  Professor  Adams  deserves 
credit  for  what  he  has  accomplished.”  Honourable 
S.  D.  Pearce,  the  representative  of  the  parish  in  the 
State  Legislature,  says,  “The  school  is  doing  fine 
work  for  the  education  of  the  coloured  youth  of  this 
section  of  the  State,  and  Professor  Adams  is  making 
a  vigorous  struggle  for  its  advancement .  ”  Mr .  W .  E . 
Redwine,  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  for 
the  parish,  says,  “Professor  Adams  is  doing  work 
in  the  right  direction  for  the  betterment  of  his  race.” 
Mr.  A.  J.  Bell,  the  editor  of  the  local  newspaper, 
says,  “  His  work  in  this  section  has  been  productive 
of  incalculable  good.” 

As  to  the  work  of  the  Utica  Normal  and  Industrial 
Institute,  Utica,  Mississippi,  I  will  let  Mr.  W.  H. 
Holtzclaw,  the  principal,  tell  in  his  own  words : 

“  I  came  here  from  Snow  Hill,  Alabama,  last  Octo¬ 
ber,  without  a  cent  (I  left  my  wife  behind  because  of 
lack  of  means  to  bring  her,  and  I  walked  part  of  the 
way  through  a  wild  and  unfrequented  part  of  this 
State),  and  started  this  work  under  a  tree.  Now 


A  SEWING-CLASS  AT  SNOW  HILL 


SPREADING  THE  TUSKEGEE  SPIRIT  225 


we  have  two  horses,  forty  acres  of  land,  one  cow  and 
a  calf,  a  farm  planted  and  growing,  more  than  200 
students,  seven  teachers,  and  a  building  going  up. 
In  all  my  efforts  I  have  had  the  wise  counsel  and 
constant  assistance  of  Mrs.  Holtzclaw,  without 
which  I  could  not  have  made  much  progress.” 

Harriman  Industrial  Institute,  Harriman,  Ten¬ 
nessee,  was  established  five  years  ago  by  J.  W.  Ovel- 
trea,  of  the  class  of  1893.  The  school  has  thirty 
acres  of  land  in  the  suburbs  of  Harriman.  Mr. 
Oveltrea  and  his  wife  are  both  graduates  of  Tus- 
kegee,  and  they  have  been  aided  in  their  work  by 
Tuskegee  graduates  and  students.  The  school  has 
four  buildings  and  about  one  hundred  students. 
Several  trades  are  taught. 

The  Robert  Hungerford  Institute,  in  Eatonville, 
Florida,  was  founded  by  R.  C.  Calhoun,  of  the 
class  of  1896.  Eatonville  is  about  six  miles  from 
Orlando.  Mr.  Calhoun  had  nothing  to  begin  with 
but  the  little  public  school.  He  has  secured  200 
acres  of  land,  clear  of  debt,  and  a  year  ago  dedicated 
Booker  T.  Washington  Hall,  a  dormitory  and  class¬ 
room  building,  with  chapel.  This  building,  the 
plans  of  which  were  drawn  by  a  Tuskegee  graduate, 
cost  $3,000.  The  trades  taught  are  farming,  wheel- 
wrighting,  painting,  carpentry,  sewing,  cooking  and 
laundering. 

Miss  Nathalie  Lord,  one  of  my  early  teachers  at 
Hampton,  is  a  trustee  of  this  school.  The  school  is 


226  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


now  in  its  fourth  year.  It  has  forty  boarding  stu¬ 
dents  and  nearly  one  hundred  day  students.  Mrs. 
Calhoun,  who  is  her  husband’s  assistant,  was  a 
student  at  Tuskegee,  as  was  also  the  man  who  has 
charge  of  the  blacksmith  and  wheelwright  shops. 

Nearly  three  years  ago,  three  of  our  graduates, 
under  the  leadership  of  one  of  our  teachers,  Mr.  J.  N. 
Calloway,  went  to  Africa  under  the  auspices  of  the 
German  government,  to  introduce  cotton  -  raising 
among  the  natives.  At  the  end  of  the  second  year 
the  German  officials  were  so  pleased  that  they 
employed  three  other  students.  At  the  end  of  the 
fourth  year  the  experiment  was  successful  to  the 
extent  that  a  hundred  bales  of  cotton  have  been 
shipped  from  the  colony  of  Togo,  Africa,  to  Berlin. 
Only  a  few  months  ago  the  German  officials  were 
kind  enough  to  send  me  several  pairs  of  hose  made 
from  cotton  raised  by  our  students. 

Since  beginning  this  experiment,  we  have  received 
applications  from  both  English  and  Belgian  cotton¬ 
raising  companies  that  wish  to  secure  Tuskegee  men 
to  introduce  cotton-raising  in  their  African  pos¬ 
sessions.  The  Porto  Rican  Government  makes  an 
annual  appropriation  for  the  purpose  of  maintain¬ 
ing  eighteen  students  at  Tuskegee  in  order  that  they 
may  learn  our  methods.  The  Haytian  Government 
has  recently  arranged  to  send  a  number  of  young 
men  here,  mainly  with  the  view  of  their  being  trained 
in  farming.  Besides,  we  have  students  present  from 


SPREADING  THE  TUSKEGEE  SPIRIT  227 


the  West  Indies,  Africa,  and  several  South  American 
countries. 

While  speaking  of  the  Tuskegee  missionary  spirit, 
it  is  interesting  to  note  the  effect  that  the  industrial 
training  given  by  our  graduates  has  had  upon  the 
morals  and  manner  of  living  among  the  natives  of 
Africa  in  Togoland.  Missionaries  have  been  work¬ 
ing  among  these  people  for  many  years,  and  very 
effectively,  and  yet  training  in  carpentry  and  cotton¬ 
raising  had  results  that  the  academic  and  religious 
teaching  had  not  accomplished.  When  the  natives 
are  taught  the  Bible,  and  the  heart  and  the  head 
are  educated,  the  tendency  is  for  them  to  become 
teachers  or  traders.  In  the  latter  case,  their  learn¬ 
ing  brings  them  too  frequently  into  contact  with 
unscrupulous  European  traders  from  whom  they 
acquire  habits  of  gambling,  cheating,  drinking,  etc. 
In  addition  to  this,  when  they  begin  merchandising, 
the  natives  find  that  it  is  to  their  advantage  to  have 
more  than  one  wife,  since  their  wives  are  able  to 
help  them  in  selling  in  the  markets  and  through  the 
country  districts.  The  young  people  who  went  to 
Africa  from  Tuskegee  found  that  this  problem 
greatly  perplexed  the  missionaries,  but  wherever 
these  natives  were  given  work  on  the  plantations, 
and  employed  their  muscles  as  well  as  their  brains, 
a  change  for  the  better  was  soon  apparent. 

It  is  usually  true  that  when  a  native  is  kept 
employed  in  one  place,  he  will  begin  to  build  a  home, 


228  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


consisting  of  a  number  of  huts ;  he  will  clear  a  farm 
or  plantation,  and  stock  it  with  cattle,  sheep,  pigs 
and  fowls.  He  will  plant  vegetables,  corn,  cassava, 
yams,  etc.  This  happened  among  the  Africans  who 
were  employed  on  the  plantations  cultivated  by  our 
graduates.  The  wives  and  children  of  these  labour¬ 
ers  were  given  work  on  the  farms,  and  it  has  been 
found  that  few  of  them  gamble,  steal  and  cheat,  as 
do  those  who  wander  to  and  fro  without  employ¬ 
ment.  Such  natives  as  these  cotton-growers  are 
more  easily  reached  by  missionary  effort,  and  when 
they  are  converted  to  the  Christian  religion,  if  they 
remain  on  the  farms,  they  seldom  fall  back  into 
paganism. 

I  have  been  informed  that  it  is  a  general  opinion 
among  the  missionaries  in  Togoland  that  industrial 
education  will  be  a  main-stay  in  future  effort,  and 
that  such  teaching  will  be  introduced  in  the  mission¬ 
ary  institutions  as  rapidly  as  possible.  Since  the 
young  men  went  out  from  Tuskegee,  a  decided 
change  has  been  noticed  in  the  sanitation  and  mode 
of  living  in  the  towns  near  which  they  are  located. 
Much  of  this  betterment  has  been  the  direct  result 
of  the  lessons  learned  by  the  natives  from  seeing  our 
carpenter  build  houses,  and  observing  our  graduates 
habits  of  life.  The  natives  seemed  anxious  to  learn, 
and  the  Tuskegee  colony  received  many  applications 
from  the  women  to  have  their  daughters  come  and 
live  with  the  American  women  in  order  that  they 


SPREADING  THE  TUSKEGEE  SPIRIT  229 


might  learn  the  new  customs,  especially  the  art  of 
sewing,  cooking,  and  doing  housework. 

Few  of  the  huts  had  shutters  or  doors  when  our 
graduates  first  went  to  the  colony — bedsteads  were 
unknown ;  but  now  many  of  the  huts  have  outside 
shutters,  and  their  inmates  have  learned  how  to 
construct  comfortable  beds  for  themselves.  Many 
who  formerly  bathed  in  streams  now  have  bath¬ 
houses  back  of  their  huts.  On  Sunday,  all  work  on 
the  plantations  of  the  Tuskegee  party  was  sus¬ 
pended,  except  caring  for  the  stock  and  other  neces¬ 
sary  duties,  and  this,  too,  had  its  effect  on  the 
natives,  who  were  inclined  to  accept  our  religious 
observance  of  the  day.  Many  now  dress  in  holiday 
attire  on  Sunday,  and  go  to  the  nearest  mission. 

The  Tuskegee  party  settled  about  sixty  miles 
from  the  coast,  where  no  wagons  or  carts  were  used 
for  conveying  produce  or  material.  The  native  men 
and  women  carried  all  freight  in  sixty-pound  loads 
on  their  heads,  and  were  able  to  travel  fifteen  to 
twenty  miles  a  day.  On  these  round  trips  of  ten 
days,  the  women  carried  their  small  children  with 
them,  and  during  their  frequent  halts  came  into  con¬ 
tact  with  the  rough  and  demoralising  element  of  the 
trading-post,  and  with  other  degrading  influences. 
This  mode  of  transportation  seemed  very  unsatis¬ 
factory  to  the  Tuskegee  young  men,  who  introduced 
carts  and  wagons  drawn  by  men.  This  allowed  the 
women  and  children  to  remain  at  home  and  look 


23o  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

after  the  farms  and  their  household  duties,  while  the 
men  made  the  trips  to  the  coast. 

Young  girls,  just  growing  into  womanhood,  are 
no  longer  compelled  to  meet  the  many  bad  influences 
formerly  encountered  on  the  trips  to  the  coast.  The 
use  of  farm  machinery  in  the  colony  has  relieved  the 
women  and  girls  of  much  drudgery.  They  used  to 
prepare  the  land  with  the  crudest  hoes  and  plows. 
This  is  now  done  with  improved  American  imple¬ 
ments.  The  Germans  have  been  so  strongly  im¬ 
pressed  with  these  effects  of  industrial  training  upon 
the  natives,  that  they  have  decided  to  introduce  into 
all  the  schools  of  that  colony  a  system  for  the  train¬ 
ing  of  boys  in  hand  work.  With  the  assistance  of  the 
chiefs,  improved  methods  of  agriculture  and  handi¬ 
craft  will  be  spread  among  the  tribes  of  that  region. 

I  do  not  wish  my  readers  to  get  the  impression 
that  all  of  Tuskegee’s  men  and  women  have  suc¬ 
ceeded,  because  they  have  not.  A  few  have  failed 
miserably,  much  to  our  regret,  but  the  percentage 
of  failures  is  so  small  that  they  are  more  than  over¬ 
shadowed  by  those  who  have  been,  in  the  fullest 
sense  of  the  word,  successful. 

Despite  all  that  I  have  said,  the  work  has  merely 
begun.  I  believe  we  have  found  the  way.  Our 
endeavour  will  be  to  continue  to  pursue  it  faithfully, 
actively,  bravely,  honestly.  With  sufficient  means, 
such  work  as  I  have  indicated  could  be  greatly 
increased. 


CHAPTER  XIX 


Negro  Education  Not  a  Failure 

Several  persons  holding  high  official  position 
have  said  recently  that  it  does  not  pay,  from  any 
point  of  view,  to  educate  the  Negro;  and  that  all 
attempts  at  his  education  have  so  far  failed  to  accom¬ 
plish  any  good  results.  The  Southern  States,  which 
out  of  their  poverty  are  contributing  rather  liberally 
for  the  education  of  all  the  people,  as  does  indi¬ 
vidual  and  organised  philanthropy  throughout  the 
country,  have  a  right  to  know  whether  the  Negro 
is  responding  to  the  efforts  they  have  made  to  place 
him  upon  a  higher  plane  of  civilisation. 

Will  it  pay  to  invest  further  money  in  this  direc¬ 
tion?  In  seeking  to  answer  this  question,  it  is 
hardly  fair  to  compare  the  progress  of  the  American 
Negro  with  that  of  the  American  white  man,  who,  in 
some  unexplained  way,  got  thousand  of  years  ahead 
of  the  Negro  in  the  arts  and  sciences  of  civilisation. 
But  to  get  at  the  real  facts  and  the  real  capability 
of  the  black  man,  compare  for  a  moment  the  Amer¬ 
ican  Negro  with  the  Negro  in  Africa,  or  the  black 
man  with  the  black  man.  In  South  Africa  alone 
there  are  five  million  black  people  who  have  never 

231 


232  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

been  brought,  through  school  or  other  agencies,  into 
contact  with  a  higher  civilisation  in  a  way  to  have 
their  minds  or  their  ambitions  strengthened  or 
awakened.  As  a  result,  the  industries  of  South 
Africa  languish  and  refuse  to  prosper  for  lack  of 
labour.  The  native  black  man  refuses  to  labour 
because  he  has  been  neglected.  He  has  few  wants 
and  little  ambition,  and  these  can  be  satisfied  by 
labouring  one  or  two  days  out  of  the  seven.  In  the 
southern  part  of  the  United  States  there  are  more 
than  eight  millions  of  my  race  who,  both  by  contact 
with  the  whites  and  by  education  in  the  home,  in 
school,  in  church,  have  had  their  minds  awakened 
and  strengthened — have  thus  had  their  wants 
increased  and  multiplied  many  times.  Hence, 
instead  of  a  people  in  idleness,  we  have  in  the  South 
a  people  who  are  anxious  to  work  because  they  want 
education  for  their  children;  they  want  land  and 
houses,  and  churches,  books,  and  papers.  In  a 
word,  they  want  the  highest  and  best  in  our  civilisa¬ 
tion.  Looked  at,  then,  from  the  most  material  and 
selfish  point  of  view,  it  has  paid  to  awaken  the 
Negro’s  mind,  and  there  should  be  no  limit  placed 
upon  the  development  of  that  mind. 

Does  the  American  Negro  take  advantage  of  oppor¬ 
tunities  to  secure  education  ?  Practically  no  school- 
house  has  been  opened  for  the  Negro  since  the  war 
that  has  not  been  filled.  Often  hungry  and  in  rags, 
making  heroic  sacrifices,  the  Negro  youth  has  been 


NEGRO  EDUCATION  NOT  A  FAILURE  233 


determined  to  annihilate  his  mental  darkness.  With 
all  his  disadvantages,  the  Negro,  according  to 
official  records,  has  blotted  out  55.5  per  cent,  of  his 
illiteracy  since  he  became  a  free  man,  while  practi¬ 
cally  95  per  cent,  of  the  native  Africans  are  illiterate. 
After  years  of  civilisation  and  opportunity,  in  Spain, 
68  per  cent,  of  the  population  are  illiterate ;  in  Italy, 
38  per  cent.  In  the  average  South  American  coun¬ 
try  about  80  per  cent,  are  illiterate,  while  after  forty 
years  the  American  Negro  has  only  44.5  per  cent,  of 
illiteracy  to  his  debit.  I  have  thus  compared  the 
progress  of  my  race,  not  with  the  highest  civilised 
nations,  for  the  reason  that,  in  passing  judgment 
upon  us,  the  world  too  often  forgets  that,  either 
consciously  or  otherwise,  because  of  geographical  or 
physical  proximity  to  the  American  white  man,  we 
are  being  compared  with  the  very  highest  civilisation 
that  exists.  But  when  compared  with  the  most 
advanced  and  enlightened  white  people  of  the  South, 
we  find  12  per  cent,  of  illiteracy  for  them  and  only 
44  per  cent,  for  our  race. 

Having  seen  that  the  American  Negro  takes 
advantage  of  every  opportunity  to  secure  an  educa¬ 
tion,  I  think  it  will  surprise  some  to  learn  to  what 
an  extent  the  race  contributes  toward  its  own  edu¬ 
cation  and  works  in  sympathetic  touch  with  the 
whites  at  the  South.  In  emphasising  this  fact,  I  use 
the  testimony  of  the  best  Southern  white  men. 
Says  the  State  Superintendent  of  Education  of  Flor- 


234  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

ida  in  one  of  his  recent  official  reports :  “  The  follow¬ 
ing  figures  are  given  to  show  that  the  education  of 
the  Negroes  of  Middle  Florida  (the  Black  Belt  of 
Florida)  does  not  cost  the  white  people  of  that  sec¬ 
tion  one  cent.”  In  those  eight  Black  Belt  counties, 
the  total  cost  of  the  Negro  schools  is  $19,457-  The 
total  contributed  by  the  Negro  in  direct  and  indirect 
taxes  amounted  to  $23,984,  thus  leaving  a  difference 
of  $4,527,  which,  according  to  the  Superintendent, 
went  into  the  white  schools.  In  Mississippi,  for  the 
year  ending  in  1899,  according  to  an  eminent  author¬ 
ity,  the  Negroes  had  expended  on  their  schools  about 
20  per  cent,  of  the  total  school  fund,  or  a  total  of 
about  $250,000.  During  the  same  year  they  paid 
toward  their  own  education,  in  poll  taxes,  State, 
county  and  city  taxes,  and  indirect  taxes,  about 
$280,000,  or  a  surplus  of  about  $30,000.  So  that, 
looked  at  from  any  point  of  view,  it  would  seem  that 
the  Negroes  in  that  State  are  in  a  large  measure 
paying  for  their  own  education. 

But  with  all  the  Negro  is  doing  for  himself,  with 
all  the  white  people  in  the  South  are  doing  for  them¬ 
selves,  and  despite  all  that  one  race  is  doing  to  help 
the  other,  the  present  opportunities  for  education  are 
woefully  inadequate  for  both  races.  In  the  year 
j 877-78  the  total  expenditure  for  education  in  the 
ex-slave  States  was  a  beggarly  $2.61  per  capita  for 
whites  and  only  $1.09  for  blacks;  on  the  same  basis 
the  U.  S.  Commissioner  of  Education  calculates  that 


TYPESETTING— PRINTING  OFFICE 


NEGRO  EDUCATION  NOT  A  FAILURE  235 


for  the  year  1900-01,  $35,400,000  was  spent  for  the 
education  of  both  races  in  the  South,  of  which 
$6,000,000  went  to  Negroes,  or  $4.92  per  capita  for 
whites  and  $2.21  for  blacks.  On  the  same  basis, 
each  child  in  Massachusetts  costs  the  taxpayers  for 
its  education  $22.35,  and  each  one  in  New  York 
$20.53  yearly. 

From  both  a  moral  and  religious  point  of  view, 
what  measure  of  education  the  Negro  has  received 
has  been  repaid,  and  there  has  been  no  step  backward 
in  any  State.  Not  a  single  graduate  of  the  Hamp¬ 
ton  Institute  or  of  the  Tuskegee  Institute  can  be 
found  to-day  in  any  jail  or  State  penitentiary.  After 
making  careful  inquiry,  I  cannot  find  a  half-dozen 
cases  of  a  man  or  woman  who  has  completed  a  full 
course  of  education  in  any  of  our  reputable  institu¬ 
tions  like  Hampton,  Tuskegee,  Fisk  or  Atlanta,  who 
are  in  prisons.  The  records  of  the  South  show  that 
90  per  cent,  of  the  coloured  people  in  prisons  are 
without  knowledge  of  trades,  and  61  per  cent,  are 
illiterate.  This  statement  alone  disproves  the  asser¬ 
tion  that  the  Negro  grows  in  crime  as  education 
increases.  If  the  Negro  at  the  North  is  more 
criminal  than  his  brother  at  the  South,  it  is 
because  of  the  employment  which  the  South  gives 
him  and  the  North  denies  him.  It  is  not  the 
educated  Negro  who  has  been  guilty  of  or  even 
charged  with  crime  in  the  South ;  it  is,  as  a  rule,  the 
one  who  has  a  mere  smattering  of  education  or  is  in 


236  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


total  ignorance.  While  the  Negro  may  succeed  in 
getting  into  the  State  prison  faster,  the  white  man 
in  some  inexplainable  manner  has  a  way  of  getting 
out  faster  than  the  Negro.  To  illustrate:  the 
official  records  of  Virginia  for  a  year  show  that  one 
out  of  every  three  and  one-half  white  men  were  freed 
from  prison  by  executive  clemency,  and  that  only 
one  out  of  every  fourteen  Negroes  received  such 
clemency.  In  Louisiana  it  is  one  to  every  four  and 
one-half  white  men  and  one  to  every  forty-nine 
Negroes.  So  that,  when  this  feature  is  considered, 
matters  are  pretty  well  evened  up  between  the  races. 

As  bearing  further  upon  the  tendency  of  education 
to  improve  the  morals  of  the  Negro  and  therefore  to 
prolong  his  life,  no  one  will  accuse  the  average  New 
York  insurance  company  of  being  guided  by  mere 
sentiment  toward  the  Negro  in  placing  its  risks; 
with  the  insurance  company  it  is  a  question  of  cold 
business.  A  few  months  ago  the  chief  medical 
examiner  for  the  largest  industrial  insurance  com¬ 
pany  in  America  stated  that,  after  twenty  years’ 
experience  and  observation,  his  company  had  found 
that  the  Negro  who  was  intelligent,  who  worked 
regularly  at  a  trade  or  some  industry  and  owned  his 
home,  was  as  safe  an  insurance  risk  as  a  white  man 
in  the  same  station  of  life. 

Not  long  ago,  a  Southern  white  man  residing  in  the 
town  of  Tuskegee,  who  represents  one  of  the  largest 
and  most  wealthy  accident  and  casualty  companies 


NEGRO  EDUCATION  NOT  A  FAILURE  237 


in  New  York,  wrote  to  his  company  to  the  effect  that 
while  he  knew  his  company  refused  to  insure  the 
ordinary,  ignorant  coloured  man,  at  the  Tuskegee 
Institute  there  were  some  150  officers  and  instructors 
who  were  persons  of  education  and  skill,  with  prop¬ 
erty  and  character,  and  that  he,  a  Southern  white 
man,  advised  that  they  be  insured  on  the  same 
terms  as  other  races,  and  within  a  week  the  answer 
came  back,  “  Insure  without  hesitation  every  Negro 
on  the  Tuskegee  Institute  grounds  of  the  type  you 
name.”  The  fact  is,  that  almost  every  insurance 
company  is  now  seeking  the  business  of  the  educated 
Negro.  If  education  increased  the  risk,  they  would 
seek  the  ignorant  Negro  rather  than  the  educated 
one.  As  bearing  further  upon  the  effect  of  education 
upon  the  morals  of  the  Negro  during  the  last  forty 
years,  let  us  go  into  the  heart  of  the  Black  Belt  of 
Mississippi  and  inquire  of  Alfred  Holt  Stone,  a  large 
and  intelligent  cotton  planter,  as  to  the  progress  of 
the  race.  Mr.  Stone  says:  “The  last  census  shows 
that  the  Negro  constitutes  87.6  per  cent,  of  the 
population  of  the  Y azoo-Mississippi  delta.  Yet  we 
hear  of  no  black  incubus ;  we  have  had  few  midnight 
assassinations,  and  fewer  lynchings.  The  violation 
by  a  Negro  of  the  person  of  a  white  woman  is  with 
us  an  unknown  crime ;  nowhere  else  is  the  line  mark¬ 
ing  the  social  separation  of  the  two  races  more 
rigidly  drawn;  nowhere  are  the  relations  between 
the  two  more  kindly.  With  us,  race  riots  are  un- 


238  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


known,  and  we  have  but  one  Negro  problem — 
though  that  constantly  confronts  us — how  to  secure 
more  Negroes.” 

There  are  few  higher  authorities  on  the  progress 
of  the  Negro  than  Joel  Chandler  Harris,  of  the 
Atlanta  Constitution.  Mr.  Harris  had  opportunity 
to  know  the  Negro  before  the  war,  and  he  has  fol¬ 
lowed  his  progress  closely  in  freedom.  In  a  state¬ 
ment  published  recently  Mr.  Harris  says: 

“In  spite  of  all,  however,  the  condition  of  the 
Negro  has  been  growing  better . 

“We  cannot  fairly  judge  a  race,  or  a  country,  or  a 
religious  institution,  or  a  social  organisation,  or 
society  itself,  nay,  not  the  republic  in  which  we  take 
pride,  unless  we  measure  it  by  the  standard  set  up 
by  the  men  who  are  its  best  representatives. 

“We  are  in  such  a  furious  hurry.  We  are  placed 
in  a  position  of  expecting  a  race  but  a  few  years  from 
inevitable  ignorance  imposed  on  it  by  the  conditions 
of  slavery  to  make  the  most  remarkable  progress 
that  the  world  has  ever  heard  of,  and  when  we  dis¬ 
cover  that  in  the  nature  of  things  this  is  impossible, 
we  shake  our  heads  sadly  and  are  ready  to  lose  heart 
and  hope. 

“The  point  I  desire  to  make  is  that  the  over¬ 
whelming  majority  of  the  Negroes  in  all  parts  of  the 
South,  especially  in  the  agricultural  regions,  are 
leading  sober  and  industrious  lives.  A  temperate 
race  is  bound  to  be  industrious,  and  the  Negroes  are 


NEGRO  EDUCATION  NOT  A  FAILURE  239 


temperate  when  compared  with  the  whites.  Even 
in  the  towns  the  majority  of  them  are  sober  and 
industrious.  The  idle  and  criminal  classes  among 
them  make  a  great  show  in  the  police  court  records, 
but  right  here  in  Atlanta  the  respectable  and  decent 
Negroes  far  outnumber  those  who  are  on  the  lists 
of  the  police  as  old  or  new  offenders.  I  am  bound 
to  conclude  from  what  I  see  all  about  me,  and  from 
what  I  know  of  the  race  elsewhere,  that  the  Negro, 
notwithstanding  the  late  start  he  has  made  in  civil¬ 
isation  and  enlightenment,  is  capable  of  making 
himself  a  useful  member  in  the  communities  in 
which  he  lives  and  moves,  and  that  he  is  becoming 
more  and  more  desirous  of  conforming  to  all  the  laws 
that  have  been  enacted  for  the  protection  of  society.” 

Some  time  ago  I  sent  out  letters  to  representative 
Southern  men,  covering  each  ex-slave  state,  asking 
them,  judging  by  their  observation  in  their  own 
communities,  what  effect  education  had  upon  the 
Negro.  To  those  questions  I  received  136  replies  as 
follows : 

1.  Has  education  made  the  Negro  a  more  useful 
citizen  ? 

Answers:  Yes,  121;  no,  4;  unanswered,  11. 

.2.  Has  it  made  him  more  economical  and  more 
inclined  to  acquire  wealth  ? 

Answers:  Yes,  98;  no,  14;  unanswered,  24. 

3.  Does  it  make  him  a  more  valuable  workman, 
especially  where  skill  and  thought  are  required? 


24o  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


Answers:  Yes,  132;  no,  2;  unanswered,  2. 

4.  Do  well-trained,  skilled  Negro  workmen  find 
any  difficulty  in  securing  work  in  your  community  ? 

Answers:  No,  1 1 7  ;  yes,  4;  unanswered,  15. 

5 .  Are  coloured  men  in  business  patronised  by  the 
whites  in  your  community? 

Answers:  Yes,  92;  no,  9;  unanswered,  35.  (The 
large  number  of  cases  in  which  this  question  was  not 
answered  is  due  to  scarcity  of  business  men.) 

6.  Is  there  any  opposition  to  the  coloured  people’s 
buying  land  in  your  community  ? 

Answers:  No,  128;  yes,  3;  unanswered,  5. 

7.  Has  education  improved  the  morals  of  the 
black  race? 

Answers:  Yes,  97;  no,  20;  unanswered,  19. 

8.  Has  it  made  his  religion  less  emotional  and 
more  practical? 

Answers:  Yes,  101;  no,  16;  unanswered,  19. 

9.  Is  it,  as  a  rule,  the  ignorant  or  the  educated 
who  commit  crime  ? 

Answers :  Ignorant,  1 1 5  ;  educated,  3 ;  unan¬ 
swered,  17. 

10.  Does  crime  grow  less  as  education  increases 
among  the  coloured  people  ? 

Answers:  Yes,  102;  no,  19;  unanswered,  15. 

11.  Is  the  moral  growth  of  the  Negro  equal  to  his 
mental  growth? 

Answers:  Yes,  55;  no,  46;  unanswered,  35. 

But  it  has  been  said  that  the  Negro  proves  eco- 


NEGRO  EDUCATION  NOT  A  FAILURE  241 


nomically  valueless  in  proportion  as  he  is  educated. 
All  will  agree  that  the  Negro  in  Virginia,  for  example, 
began  life  forty  years  ago  in  complete  poverty, 
scarcely  owning  clothing  or  a  day’s  food.  From  an 
economic  point  of  view,  what  has  been  accom¬ 
plished  for  Virginia  alone  largely  through  the  exam¬ 
ple  and  work  of  the  graduates  of  Hampton  and  other 
large  schools  in  that  state  ?  The  reports  of  the  State 
Auditor  show  that  the  Negro  to-day  owns  at  least 
one  twenty-sixth  of  the  total  real  estate  in  that  com¬ 
monwealth  exclusive  of  his  holdings  in  towns  and 
cities,  and  that  in  the  counties  east  of  the  Blue 
Ridge  Mountains  he  owns  one-sixteenth.  In  Middle¬ 
sex  County  he  owns  one-sixth;  in  Hanover  one- 
fourth.  In  Georgia,  the  official  records  show  that, 
largely  through  the  influence  of  educated  men  and 
women  from  Atlanta  schools  and  others,  the  Negroes 
added  last  year  $1,526,000  to  their  taxable  property, 
making  the  total  amount  upon  which  they  pay  taxes 
in  that  State  alone  $16,700,000.  From  nothing  to 
$16,000,000  in  one  State  in  forty  years  does  not  seem 
to  prove  that  education  is  hurting  the  race.  Rela¬ 
tive  progress  has  been  made  in  Alabama  and  other 
Southern  States.  Every  man  or  woman  who  gradu¬ 
ates  from  the  Hampton  or  Tuskegee  Institutes,  who 
has  become  intelligent  and  skilled  in  any  one  of  the 
industries  of  the  South,  is  not  only  in  demand  at  an 
increased  salary  on  the  part  of  my  race,  but  there 
is  equal  demand  from  the  white  race.  One  of  the 


242  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 

largest  manufacturing  concerns  in  Birmingham, 
Alabama,  keeps  a  standing  order  at  the  Tuskegee 
Institute  to  the  effect  that  it  will  employ  every  man 
who  graduates  from  our  foundry  department. 

When  the  South  had  a  wholly  ignorant  and  wholly 
slave  Negro  population,  she  produced  about  4,000,000 
bales  of  cotton ;  now  she  has  a  wholly  free  and  partly 
educated  Negro  population,  and  the  South  produces 
nearly  10,000,000  bales  of  cotton,  besides  more  food 
products  than  were  ever  grown  in  its  history.  It 
should  not  be  overlooked  that  it  is  not  the  Negro 
alone  who  produces  cotton,  but  it  is  his  labour  that 
produces  most  of  it.  And  while  he  may  pay  a  small 
direct  tax,  his  labour  makes  it  very  convenient  for 
others  to  pay  direct  taxes. 

Judged  purely  from  an  economic  or  industrial 
standpoint,  the  education  of  the  Negro  is  paying, 
and  will  pay  more  largely  in  the  future  in  proportion 
as  educational  opportunities  are  increased.  A  care¬ 
ful  examination  shows  that,  of  the  men  and  women 
trained  at  the  Hampton  and  Tuskegee  schools,  not 
ten  per  cent,  can  be  found  in  idleness  at  any  season 
of  the  year. 

Years  ago  some  one  asked  an  eminent  clergyman 
in  Boston  if  Christianity  is  a  failure.  The  Reverend 
doctor  replied  that  it  had  never  been  tried.  When 
people  are  bold  enough  to  suggest  that  the  education 
of  the  Negro  is  a  failure,  I  reply  that  it  has  never  been 
tried.  The  fact  is  that  44.5  per  cent,  of  the  coloured 


NEGRO  EDUCATION  NOT  A  FAILURE  243 


people  of  this  country  to-day  are  illiterate.  A  very 
large  proportion  of  those  classed  as  educated  have 
the  merest  smattering  of  knowledge,  which  means 
practically  no  education.  Can  the  Negro  child  get 
an  education  in  school  four  months  and  out  of  school 
eight  months  ?  Can  the  white  child  of  the  South 
who  receives  $4.92  per  capita  for  education,  or  the 
black  child  who  receives  $2.21,  be  said  to  be  given 
an  equal  chance  in  the  battle  of  life,  or  has 
education  been  tried  on  them  ?  The  official 
records  in  Louisiana,  for  instance,  show  that  less 
than  one-fourth  of  the  Negro  children  of  school 
age  attend  any  school  during  the  year.  This  one- 
fourth  was  in  school  for  a  period  of  less  than  five 
months,  and  each  Negro  child  of  school  age  in 
the  State  had  spent  on  him  for  education  last  year 
but  $1.89,  while  each  child  of  school  age  in  the  State 
of  New  York  had  spent  on  him  $20.53.  In  Che  for¬ 
mer  slave  States  ninety  per  cent,  of  the  Negro  chil¬ 
dren  of  school  age  did  not  attend  school  for  six 
months  during  the  year  1900. 

Wherever  the  race  is  given  an  opportunity  for 
education,  it  takes  advantage  of  that  opportunity, 
and  the  change  can  be  seen  in  the  improved  material, 
educational,  moral  and  religious  condition  of  the 
masses.  Contrast  two  townships,  one  in  Louisiana, 
where  the  race  has  had  little  chance,  with  one  in 
Farmville,  Virginia,  by  means  of  the  United  States 
Bulletin  of  the  Department  of  Labour.  In  the 


244  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


Louisiana  township  only  io  per  cent,  attend  school, 
and  they  attend  for  but  four  months  in  a  year,  and 
71  per  cent,  of  the  people  are  illiterate.  And  as  a 
result  of  this  ignorance  and  neglect,  we  find  that  only 
50  per  cent,  of  the  people  living  together  as  man 
and  wife  are  legally  married.  Largely  through  the 
leadership  of  Hampton  graduates,  56  per  cent,  of 
the  black  children  in  Farmville,  Virginia,  attend 
either  public  or  private  school  from  six  to  eight 
months.  There  is  only  39  per  cent,  of  illiteracy. 
Practically  all  the  people  living  together  as  man  and 
wife  are  legally  married,  and  in  the  whole  community 
only  15  per  cent,  of  the  births  are  illegitimate. 

But  the  vital  point  which  I  want  to  emphasise  is 
the  disposition  of  the  Negro  to  exercise  self-help  in 
the  building  up  of  his  own  schools  in  connection  with 
the  State  public  school  system.  Wherever  we  send 
out  from  Tuskegee,  or  any  of  our  Southern  colleges, 
a  Negro  leader  of  proper  character,  he  shows  the 
people  in  most  cases  how  to  extend  the  school  term 
beyond  the  few  months  provided  for  by  the  State. 
Out  of  their  poverty  the  Southern  States  are  making 
a  tremendous  effort  to  extend  and  improve  the  school 
term  each  year,  but  while  this  improvement  is  taking 
place,  the  Negro  leaders  of  the  character  to  which  I 
have  referred  must  be  depended  upon  largely  to 
keep  alive  the  spark  of  education. 

It  now  seems  settled  that  the  great  body  of  our 
people  are  to  reside  for  all  time  in  the  Southern  por- 


NEGRO  EDUCATION  NOT  A  FAILURE  245 

tion  of  the  United  States.  Since  this  is  true,  there 
is  no  more  helpful  and  patriotic  service  than  to  help 
cement  a  friendship  between  the  two  races  that  shall 
be  manly,  honourable,  and  permanent.  In  this 
work  of  moulding  and  guiding  a  public  sentiment 
that  shall  forever  maintain  peace  and  good-will 
between  the  races  on  terms  commendable  to  each, 
it  is  on  the  Negro  who  comes  out  of  our  universities, 
colleges,  and  industrial  schools  that  we  must  largely 
depend.  Few  people  realise  how,  under  the  most 
difficult  and  trying  circumstances,  during  the  last 
forty  years,  it  has  been  the  educated  Negro  who 
counselled  patience  and  self-control  and  thus  averted 
a  war  of  races.  Every  Negro  going  out  from  our 
institutions  properly  educated  becomes  a  link  in 
the  chain  that  shall  forever  bind  the  two  races 
together  in  all  the  essentials  of  life. 

Finally,  reduced  to  its  last  analysis,  there  are  but 
two  questions  that  constitute  the  problem  of  this 
country  so  far  as  the  black  and  white  races  are  con¬ 
cerned.  The  answer  to  the  one  rests  with  my  peo¬ 
ple,  the  other  with  the  white  race.  For  my  race, 
one  of  its  dangers  is  that  it  may  grow  impatient  and 
feel  that  it  can  get  upon  its  feet  by  artificial  and 
superficial  efforts  rather  than  by  the  slower  but  surer 
process  which  means  one  step  at  a  time  through  all 
the  constructive  grades  of  industrial,  mental,  moral, 
and  social  development  which  all  races  have  had  to 
follow  that  have  become  independent  and  strong. 


246  WORKING  WITH  THE  HANDS 


I  would  counsel :  We  must  be  sure  that  we  shall  make 
our  greatest  progress  by  keeping  our  feet  on  the 
earth,  and  by  remembering  that  an  inch  of  progress 
is  worth  a  yard  of  complaint.  For  the  white  race, 
the  danger  is  that  in  its  prosperity  and  power  it  may 
forget  the  claims  of  a  weaker  people;  may  forget 
that  a  strong  race,  like  an  individual,  should  put  its 
hand  upon  its  heart  and  ask,  if  it  were  placed  in  sim¬ 
ilar  circumstances,  how  it  would  like  the  world  to 
treat  it ;  that  the  stronger  race  may  forget  that,  in 
proportion  as  it  lifts  up  the  poorest  and  weakest,  even 
by  a  hair’s  breadth,  it  strengthens  and  ennobles 
itself. 

All  the  Negro  race  asks  is  that  the  door  which 
rewards  industry,  thrift,  intelligence,  and  character 
be  left  as  wide  open  for  him  as  for  the  foreigner  who 
constantly  comes  to  our  country.  More  than  this, 
he  has  no  right  to  request.  Less  than  this,  a 
Republic  has  no  right  to  vouchsafe. 


GE7TY  RESEARGH  institute 


3  3125  01037  9564 


